Team VRSZ: Volume One
by NewDreamer
Summary: The members of Team VRSZ begin to understand what it means to be a team as they learn more about the mysterious Vantablack family and try to uncover the identity of the crime boss Royal by targeting his other lieutenant, Turquoise. All while Violet wonders if she has what it takes to be a leader.
1. A Work in Progress

**Team VRSZ: Volume One**

 **To see the formation of Team VRSZ, read Team VRSZ: Origin**

* * *

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

One week has passed since Violet, Remus, Silver and Zelts came together and formed their own vagabond team and within that week team VRSZ took on jobs to earn money but more importantly, they got to know each other better, well, they got to know each other to the best of their ability. The relationship of Team VRSZ is rocky and it's very noticeable.

"This team is going to be the death of me," Violet said to Zelts while she was laying on the living room couch and Zelts listened on the love seat and was unaffected by her statement. Anyone walking in on this moment would think it was a client talking to her shrink, but this has become a usual thing between these two. There are times when Violet would feel frustrated and Zelts offered his ear anytime she wanted to vent and this is one of those moments.

"What makes you feel that way?" Zelts asked so she could explain her earlier remark.

"You remember the first time we went to the Moneta to pick up jobs? Silver pretty much picked a fight with almost everyone in there! All because he wanted their jobs, something about finding Royal. What is he trying to do, get us into a war!?" Violet stopped talking to pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"Not to mention his total lack of teamwork. We had two jobs together and he's the only one who does his own thing and barely listens to a word I say. The only reason he hasn't been kicked out yet is because of the ton of money he brings in and your objection. Why do you insist he stays here anyway?" Violet asked Zelts.

"He may seem to be unapproachable but I believe we will come to benefit his companionship in the future," Zelts answered Violet who looked unsatisfied with his response.

"Is Silver the only problem you have with this arrangement?" asked Zelts.

"There's also Remus" she said. "So Remus is a problem as well?" Zelts continued.

"...Well- It's a different story with him. Silver drives me crazy on purpose while Remus doesn't seem to know any better. He seems like the very sheltered type," Violet said with compassion.

"I feel the same way. He doesn't seem to know very much about the world, but deep down he tries" Zelts included.

"He really does." She said with a smile. "Have you heard of Silver's explanation that Remus is a-

"Robot? Constantly." Zelts' interruption made Violet chuckle and he joined.

Their moment was interrupted by the loud sound of the front door hitting the wall with Silver at the entrance with his foot in the air indicating he kicked it open. Standing next to him was Remus who looked like he was covered in scratches and dirt.

"HHHHEEEEYYYY! We're back! And we brought cash!" Silver yelled throughout the house to anyone who would listen. "Oh hey," he said when he noticed them in the living room. "We made a lot of cash today. Took down some easy thugs for some easy coin. Right shorty?" he said to Remus.

"Yes, we completed the objective with relative ease and earned a lot for it," Remus said as he placed the large amount of money on the living room table. Violet looked at the money impressed while Zelts looked at Silver and Remus and saw the difference in their appearance.

"Remus, why do look so beat up?" Zelts asked and his question broke Violet out of her money trance.

"Because we're friends," was his answer.

"Beg pardon?" Zelts asked completely unsure how he came up with that answer.

"Let me explain." Silver hooked his arm around Remus's shoulder. "I told him since we're all living together that makes us friends and friends help each other." As Silver continued speaking both Zelts and Violet were not liking where this was headed.

"And because we're friends, I asked him to come along and do most of the fighting while tried to get some info on Royal."

"Ain't that right friend?" Silver said with a false smile.

"That's right, we're friends," Remus said then copied Silver's smile but the others didn't look too happy.

"So you basically used Remus to fight your battles?" Violet asked.

Silver tried to retort. "That's not true. I fought fiv-um...four no...two out of twenty."

"For your sake you better have come up with some real leads." Violet threatened Silver.

Silver has made it clear that Remus is his favorite target for his pranks. She is obviously not amused by the fact that his antics have caused Remus actual physical harm.

"I learned that Royal has no plans to avenge Terra Cotta. He abandoned him when he heard that he got caught. We're off the hook," said Silver hoping that would satisfy her anger.

"Not enough" the sharp edge in her voice proved it didn't.

"How about the fact that he was Royal's right-hand man and the only one left is his left-hand woman, Turquoise, who manages all of his stolen dust supply," he said a little worried that it won't convince her.

Violet's expression showed she was interested in what he was saying. "That might not be so bad. My own dust supply has been low for some time..."

"Oh, so you're interested in stealing the dust. And here I thought you weren't a criminal," Silver mocked.

"It's not stealing. We're _liberating_ the dust to the people. I just happen to be one of the people," she said to defend herself.

"Hehe anyway, we need more info so I'll be traversing through the town's underworld and mingle with the-"

"No you're not," Violet interrupted. "as tempting as that mountain of dust sounds, we shouldn't be looking for trouble."

"Come on warden. Open the cell and let me out in the yard for a while." Silver's complaining was annoying but she didn't budge. "Did I forget to mention the bounty on her head?" Silver said hoping to entice Violet and it piqued her interest.

"I saw it today. Her bounty is over 9000. Nearly double Terra Cotta's. Worth the chance?" Violet almost started to drool over the amount of money but quickly recomposed herself.

"Here's a compromise. Missions are your primary objective, keep doing them and I'll allow you to continue with your criminal purging," she said in order to remind Silver that she was still in charge.

"Ugh fine," Silver groaned and went to his room.

"While he is growing as a team player, you seem to be growing as a team leader," Zelts said to Violet who forgot the others were still in the living room.

"Yes, I also think Violet is a good leader." Remus weighing in made Violet feel happy. Both of their comments made her blush in embarrassment.

After venting her frustrations, the extra cash her new team has made, and the compliments put Violet in a generous mood. She walked to the table and picked up the money.

"Remus, clean yourself up. Due to the diligent work of Team VRSZ, I decided that we deserve a treat. We are going out to eat," Violet said with pleasure.

"Understood" Remus said as usual and went to his room.

* * *

 **Setting: Fortuna at night.**

Team VRSZ was walking through town as Violet guided them to their destination which a restaurant named Edesia, one of the more popular dining areas in Fortuna. As they entered through the front door, everyone took a look around.

"Fancy" Silver commented.

"Very, it must cost a lot to eat here," Zelts added.

"It does but with the money we earned this past week, we have enough for one night," Violet said with confidence but that changed when she saw the other customers of the establishment. They were in suits, dresses and kinds of formal wear, something her and her friends were obviously lacking.

 _Maybe we should've worn something more appropriate. Actually, those are the only pair of clothes they have. Oh well live and learn. Not like we can embarrass ourselves further,_ Violet thought.

"Hey buddy, give us the best seat in the house, maybe there'll be a nice tip in it for you," Silver said too close to one of the waiters.

"Err..sorry sir, our best table is reserved for a very important guest. We have another table ready for you and your compatriots," the waiter said visibly unnerved by Silver's rather boorish behavior.

They were led to their table where they took their seats. Violet and Zelts were looking at the menu, Remus was still looking around Edesia with a fascination that proved this was his first time in a restaurant, and Silver was sitting in his seat with his feet up on the table sporting a miffed look on his face.

"Your mood changed quickly. Is prince charming upset he didn't get royal treatment?" Zelts asked.

"HA! We're the ones who took down Terra Cotta. Who's more important than us? Silver asked not really expecting an answer until he heard the rising chatter of the other diners as their attention was drawn to the entrance.

Entering Edesia was a young woman accompanied by people who looked like staff members but all attention was focused on the girl. She was captivating, a beautiful woman who appeared to be around the same age as the members of VRSZ, if not older. She possessed alluring green eyes, but the thing that was most intriguing was her hair. She had long black hair that reached down to her back but it was unusually black. It was blacker than black and it felt like one would get lost in her hair just by staring at it for too long. She wore a form fitting black dress that showed off her shoulders and looked like it contained tiny diamonds that shined like stars in the night sky making her seem almost otherworldly.

She was escorted to her table, the same table Silver wanted, and her company sat down first leaving only one seat left, the seat at the head of the table. Whoever this woman is, she is clearly someone important.

Everyone, including VRSZ, were mesmerized by her, except Silver. He grabbed a close by waiter who was also staring at her.

"Hey, who is she?" Silver asked.

"Hehehe. You're obviously new to town," the waiter mocked which only irritated Silver.

"That is the Lady of Fortuna, Clair de Lune Vantablack." The waiter's answer caused Silver's eyes to widen in realization.

"Vantablack" Silver repeated.

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Music Themes:**

 **Violet: Sable by Nano**

 **Remus: Hold On to You by NateWantsToBattle**

 **Silver: Hunt Hunt Hunt by There For Tomorrow (Nightcore Version)**

 **Zelts: Knight of the Wind by Crush 40 (Nightcore Version)**

 **I don't own any of these songs, I just picked the songs that best fit each character.**


	2. Wallflower

**Setting: Edesia**

Violet still looked in Clair's direction. In the two years she has lived in Fortuna, this is the first time she ever saw one of the so-called royal family. To her this was the equivalent of finding a unicorn but she realized this was also rare for her because she doesn't socialize with the people of Fortuna. She preferred to keep to herself rather than be the center of attention. As Violet turned her head back to her own table, she noticed one of her companions was no longer there. Before she could call out his name she heard his voice in the direction her eyes were previously occupying.

"Hi" said Remus who was standing next to Clair de Lune who looked surprised by his sudden appearance as well as Violet who thought Silver of all people would be the one to walk up to her.

Clair surprised face quickly changed to a loving smile. "Why, hello Remus," she said.

"You know me?" he questioned and received giggles in response.

"Of course I know you. I know all about you and your team," she said as she looked over to their table and beckoned the others to come over to her table. When the others came over to the table they were skeptical about what the young woman would want with them.

When they were assembled before her Clair rose from her seat and did something no one was expecting. She gave each member a kiss on the cheek. Remus blushed a very deep shade of red, Zelts also blushed and his body froze, Silver blushed too but started babbling incoherent nonsense, and Violet blushed as well but recovered from it faster than the others.

Taking a deep breath to calm her mind, Violet looked to Clair who continued to smile like she was playing a game.

"W..wh- why did you do that?" Violet asked still not fully composed and Clair still held her smile.

"It's my way of saying thank you all for taking down Terra Cotta. Team VRSZ should know that they already have a fan," she said with fondness.

Violet is usually able to discern a person's true motives just by observing them. She admits that her teammates flew below the radar when she first met them, but she'll cross that bridge when she gets to it. Usually she can tell who's friend or foe but with Clair de Lune, she didn't know what to make of her. She couldn't figure out her motives. She was a blank slate and this troubled Violet.

"How do you know about us? asked Violet suspiciously.

"A lot of people have been talking about this new team that took down one of Royal's top men. When I heard about you guys I was very interested, so I took the liberty of researching on you all for a while," said Clair.

"You what?" asked Violet.

"Oh don't worry. I just like to know a little bit about things that interests me. Like you Violet, I've known about you for a long time." Clair's words caused Violet's heart to drop.

"W..what?" Violet said in a barely audible tone as if she received terrible news.

"Hehehe You were someone who came to Fortuna and never socialized with anyone. Of course I kept my eye on you Violet. You stayed out of Fortuna's affairs for so long that I nicknamed you Wallflower," Clair said giggling and Violet looked flabbergasted.

"Please don't think too negative of me darling. I bear no ill towards you or your team. You helped remove a threat to my town and for that I'm grateful. As my way of saying thanks for your efforts, your dinner is on me," said Clair thinking Violet's silence was a sign of resentment.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" shouted Silver as he put his arm around Violet's shoulder and breaking her out of her momentary shock.

 _"Oh so free food is what it takes for this fool to break out of his trance? Idiot,"_ Violet thought while unbeknownst to her she had a faint smile on her face and Clair took notice of it.

"I'm sorry but I must return to my table. I have a very limited window of time in my schedule. This has been an eventful evening Team VRSZ and I hope to see you again," said Claire as she returned her attention back to her table of staff who were waiting obediently.

As the team was returning to their table, Violet heard Clair say something to her that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Till next time, my Wallflower."

Back at their table, everyone was eating their food. Remus had a light blush and was rubbing the cheek Clair kissed. Zelts was eating his food with etiquette while Silver attacked his food like a wild dog. Something Violet didn't expect from the team's self-proclaimed chef but he has been starving for a long time so she can understand his vigor. Violet ate half her food as her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Clair, mostly wondering what she truly knows about her if she's been aware of her for the past two years.

Making their way back home, all the members retired to their respective rooms and went to bed. Before Violet could fall asleep she still thought about Clair, the knowledge she had on her team and more importantly, the info she already has on her. Violet went to bed with one last thought in her mind.

 _"She is resourceful I'll give her that. I got to watch out for her,"_


	3. My Boys

**Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Behind the home of Team VRSZ the sound of clashing metal could be heard as Remus and Zelts battled each other. Remus charged toward Zelts to attack but each blow from Velocitas Eradico was met the Wings of Icarus blocking each attack. After a flurry of strikes Remus stopped his assault to rethink his next approach and Zelts let out a light chuckle.

"Come on Remus. I know this is only training but you need to do better than that. Kick it up a notch," Zelts encouraged. Remus didn't say anything but took his words to heart. The intensity in his eyes changed.

Remus changed his sword stance from normal grip to reverse grip in a backhanded style and took a stance that looked like he was ready to charge again.

 _"Oh well. Same song and dance,"_ Zelts thought as he raised his shield prepared for the next attack, however, what happened next was completely unexpected.

Zelts kept his eyes on Remus waiting for him to attack wildly like he always does until the dry desert air caused Zelts to blink. One moment Remus was far away, the next he was right in front of Zelts swinging his sword and it clashed with Zelts's shield. The attack was not only faster but stronger, strong enough to make Zelts take a small step back.

Immediately after the attack, Remus moved behind him to attack again and again. Zelts could only keep up with him for so long. He was able to parry some blows but as Remus pressed his onslaught the tide of battle was leaning. Zelts was blocking less attacks as more were making contact from every direction. Making a split second decision, he changed the Wings of Icarus from shield to wingblades and with the flexibility and divided weight, Zelts was able to momentarily keep up with Remus's super fast strikes.

Remus ended his assault and Zelts took notice of one thing about his attack.

 _"That wasn't his semblance, that was his natural speed. I fought speedsters before but he's on a whole different level. Has he always been this fast or is this even his top speed?"_ Zelts thought.

"Remus, there's more to you than meets the eye, got any more tricks?" Zelts said to himself as he composed himself to take the offensive.

With a swing of his wingblades, a gust of strong green wind was heading towards Remus. With no current defense against wind, Remus's only option is to dodge by teleporting above Zelts. Not wanting to lose momentum, Zelts began to spin around causing the wind beneath him to rise and eventually surround himself in a small tornado that helped him ascend in the air and meet Remus face to face.

Before Remus could react, Zelts swung his blades down at him which made contact and sent him crashing into the sand. Remus was laying on the ground for a few seconds before getting on his knees still a little shuck from the impact. Zelts descended to the ground and watched to make sure if Remus was okay or if he wanted to continue their sparring match. He saw Remus getting up and had a big smile of enjoyment on his face and reciprocated the gesture. This fight wasn't ending anytime soon.

Remus moved in to strike with his sword but each blow was matched with a counter from Zelts who was able to get some distance to prevent a repeat of their earlier confrontation. Before Remus could close the distance, Zelts took his weapon and swung his blades a whole 360 degrees to produce a ring of wind that was spreading out throughout the area. Remus tried to move out the way but the ring of wind was unavoidable. He was hit while he was moving and he tumbled in the sand but recovered quickly.

Shots were fired out of nowhere aimed at the sky serving only to grab their attention. Looking at the direction they came from, Zelts and Remus saw Silver wielding Ceasefire and living up to its name, stopped the fighting.

"You guys are making a whole lot of noise for just a training match. I don't know what escalated this into a full battle, but I want in," Silver said as he aimed each gun at Remus and Zelts who were taken by surprise by his sudden involvement.

Looking at each other, Zelts simply shrugs at Remus and swings his sword at Silver to send a wave of wind his way. Silver used his semblance to jump very high into the air and unleash rapid-fire gunshots at Zelts until he was above him only for Zelts to block them with his shield. Using his semblance once more, he increased his weight and dove down only to see the Wings of Icarus in shield form. Zelts closed his eyes and braced for impact but felt nothing. Looking around, he didn't see him anywhere except Remus who was pointing at him. Not sure what he was doing until he heard a cough close to his ear.

Zelts turned his head to his weapon and saw Silver standing on his shield. He swung his shield around to get him off but Silver remained unfazed by this action, most likely due to his gravity defying semblance keeping him in place.

Silver changed Ceasefire from dual guns to escrima sticks and struck Zelts on the shoulder, arm and chest trying to make him drop his shield but that didn't seem to be enough since Zelts was still standing. Silver decided to make a tactical retreat to think of a new strategy but that plan was cut short by the sudden appearance of Remus who attacked from behind with a kick to the arm. Silver used his semblance to jump and create some space between them but this plan failed as Remus simply looked at Silver and used his semblance to teleport right in front of him.

Remus attacked Silver with his sword and connected with four strong hits before Silver grabbed Remus' shoulder and used him as a foothold to jump over him again using Gravity. Remus tried to teleport again but Silver jumped in the direction of the sun so when attempting to look at Silver, he was temporarily blinded by the sun and shut his eyes. Silver took advantage of the situation and moved in to pounce only for a green tornado to come into view and sweep the both of them into the vortex. Silver was taken aback by Zelts sneaky move at first, but he used his semblance to increase his center of gravity causing him to fall straight to the ground and firmly stay there as the tornado persisted.

When the tornado ceased Silver noticed Zelts walking towards him and they both smiled and took their battle stance. They were ready to duke it out until they both realized something and said the same thing.

"Where's Remus?" they both said aloud.

Looking up, both of them saw Remus was still airborne, wielding Velocitas Eradico in its railgun form and had it aimed in their general area. He unleashed rapid-fire bolts of energy on their position and each shot had a little kickback keeping him in the air longer. Silver dodged each shot while Zelts absorbed any that came his way with his Conversion and generated a powerful golden tornado filled with electricity that swept up everyone, himself included. The thundering mass of wind dissipated after a few minutes and each fighter fell from the sky and landed in the sand. As Remus tried to stand back up but his legs gave out and he fell on his butt too tired to continue fighting. Zelts was sitting as well feeling exhausted. Silver was standing over them with his guns pointed at them while wearing a triumphant smile.

"I wi-" Silver said until he fell over. "Aw damn it."

Remus started laughing for no reason. "This was so much fun!" he said with joyfulness in his voice.

His laughter seemed to be contagious because it caused Zelts to laugh too and Silver followed. After a few more minutes of laughter everyone stopped and slowly got up from their sitting positions. They helped each other walk back to the base but before they made it to the front door, Remus, Silver, and Zelts each received a solid punch to the back of their heads knocking them out.

When Zelts gained consciousness he took a look at his surroundings. He expected to be kidnapped but instead he found himself, Silver and Remus sitting on the couch in their home. The other he noticed was Violet standing in front of them she looked like she was fuming. The other two woke up just before he could ask her what happened. As soon as they registered their situation, Violet scolded all of them like she was their mother.

"What is wrong with you three!? I'm walking in Fortuna, minding my own business, until I see golden tornadoes appear out of nowhere right where we live. I know only one person who could do that. I expected more out of you!" she said as she looked at Zelts who flinched from her reprimanding.

"And you," she said pointing at Silver who was surprised she singled him out too. "You said you weren't participating. You said 'Who needs to train when you got skill,'" Violet said impersonating Silver. Her mockery of the silver-tongued gunslinger received the laughter of the other two boys sitting on the couch but their amusement ceased when Violet looked at the both of them with a look that screamed 'Shut up.'

"You told me this was a sparring, just training, I was alright with that. How did this escalate to an all-out-battle? Did any of you see what you did? The base is almost submerged in sand! It was a pain to dig through the sand and drag your bodies at the same time. You guys should know better than this," Violet let out a sigh of exasperation.

"But of course you don't, you're boys. You're clumsy, impatient, reckless, testosterone-filled, idiotic boys-" Violet said with irritation but when she saw Zelts and Remus with looks of sadness and regret then Silver looking away like someone who didn't want others to know his true feelings. Looking at their faces, Violet can see that they truly feel sorry for getting out of control and a smile appeared on her face.

"Yes, you boys are all those things...but you're _my_ boys and I forgive you," her last words and change in mood bewildered her teammates.

"Your boys?" Silver repeated not really liking the possessive label.

"Yes, my new pet name for you three. I just thought of it," Violet said with glee. "Anyway, when you guys are feeling better, please clear out all the sand that's covering the base. Thank you," she said as she headed to her room leaving the boys baffled.

" I thought she was mad at us. What was that?" Silver asked.

"Mercy?" Zelts's only answer and no one else gave another.

They were all too tired to move from the couch. For a few minutes they laid there in silence.

"This was a fun day," Remus said aloud to no one in particular. Silver and Zelts looked at him, then at each other, then resumed their original positions on the couch and responded with the same answer.

"Yeah" they said simultaneously.

Just another day for Team VRSZ.


	4. A Day Off

**Setting: Fortuna**

Traversing down the streets of Fortuna was Zelts with a smile on his face. Trailing behind him were Remus, who looked around at everything with fascination, and Violet, who appeared the least enthusiastic out of the trio and was mostly keeping an eye on Remus rather than enjoying the stroll. Noticing her slight discomfort, Zelts slowed his pace to walk beside her.

"Having a bad time? This is supposed to be our day off," Zelts said jokingly but Violet could tell he wants an answer.

"I wouldn't say that. I just never done something like this before," she said. Violet looked at Zelts to see his response and she was surprised to see Zelts cover his mouth with his hand to suppress his laughter. His out of character reaction made Violet's face red with embarrassment.

"You lived here longer than all of us and a stroll around town is new for you?" Zelts said with a smile enjoying this conversation while Violet crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"I'm the type to keep to myself. I just do my missions, get paid, and live my life," Violet said.

"So you were basically a hermit before you met us?" Zelts' quip earned a vaguely stern look for his remark.

 _"He may look nice, but he can be worse than Silver if he wants to be,"_

"A lot of things have changed in the past few days. I just had to...adapt," Violet said referring to her new living situation with the others.

"Hopefully these changes are for the better and not the worse,"

"Your wisdom is boundless." Violet's sarcastic reply and received a chuckle from her friend. With the conversation over, Violet took Zelt's advice and started sightseeing. Taking in the sights, she was starting to enjoy herself, then she noticed something very peculiar.

People were smiling, they were smiling at them. Specifically, their smiles were directed at Zelts. He received smiles, waves and pleasant greetings, most of them from women of all ages who appeared to be enamored by his presence. Zelts responded with kind smiles and waves.

"Well aren't you popular. Didn't know you were such a ladies' man," Violet said jokingly expecting to hear another quip but saw him look at her with an dumbfounded look.

"What are you talking about? It's just people being nice,"

 _"Wow. Not only Silver, but sometimes he's as oblivious as Remus,"_ Violet thought then she saw the looks she received from some of the women. They sent her negative vibes of jealousy, most likely because she was closer to Zelts than them. She simply ignored them.

"Most of the missions I do are ones where I help other people. Rebuilding, garden tending, simple things like that. I prefer these jobs over fighting and hunting," Zelts said.

"Really? I'm surprised, you're probably the best fighter on the team. I assumed you'd enjoy battles more than any of us," Violet said.

"I find it unfortunate that combat is my specialty. I'd like to fight as a last resort than as a means of life." Zelts' answer was quite profound.

"I hope we can still count on you when we need you?" Violet asked already knowing the answer. "Of course. I'll always be there for this team," Zelts said as he stopped walking and turned to smile at Violet. His smile disappeared when he looked for something behind her. Violet turned around too and didn't see anything that would catch Zelts's eye, but that was the problem.

"Where's Remus?" they both said simultaneously.

 **Setting: Some deserted area in Fortuna**

Remus was running with sword in hand, looking like he was running away from something. He used his semblance to teleport a few feet ahead of himself and large shards of ice pierced the ground of his previous location. Looking up, he saw the assailant on top of an old destroyed building.

The boy was barely older than Remus, probably the same age as Violet and Silver, and he looked like death. He had very pale skin and shoulder length white hair. He wore a white jacket with a tattered hood and along where the zipper would be located. Underneath that he wore a shirt that started out as black at the top then slowly fades to white at the bottom. He wore black jeans that were as ripped and just as damaged as the hood and white shoes with cyan colored lining. The two things about him that stood out was the stern determined look on his face and the weapon he wore on his arm. It was a white gauntlet that looked like a sinister claw and had three valves of dust attached to the side and connected to the palm of the weapon.

The boy pointed the gauntlet at Remus and one valve of dust shined. Shards of ice shot out of the palm heading for Remus but this time he quickly defended himself by slicing the shards with his sword. After successfully countering his attack,Remus stared at his opponent with ferocity in his amber eyes. Seeing as neither one was making a move, the aggressor spoke first.

"My name is Ghost. My employer, Turquoise, she has a message for VRSZ," he said as he aimed his weapon again except electricity surged throughout the palm.


	5. Invitation Part 1

**Setting: Deserted outskirts of Fortuna**

Ghost had his gauntlet, Purgatory, held out and aimed at Remus waiting for him to stop resisting. When it appeared neither side was taking any further action, Ghost lowered his weapon and began to speak.

"Now that I have your attention, I'm here to relay a message from Turquoise. She wants me to tell you guys that-" before Ghost could finish sentence, Remus teleported in front of him and swung his sword at his head.

Ghost ducked and backtracked a good distance away from Remus with a look of shock. _"The hell is this kid's problem!?"_

Recomposing himself, he tried again. "Hey! Didn't you hear me? I said I'm here to-" again, Remus ran straight for him and attacked repeatedly with no sign of hesitation.

Ghost was able to move out the way of the first few attacks but as Remus got faster and closer, he had to use his claw gauntlet to parry the relentless onslaught. However, Remus's natural speed allowed him to overwhelm Ghost a gained the upper hand. Seeing an opening, Remus swung his sword at his neck. Ghost was too slow to move out of the way, so with no other option, he activated his semblance.

Remus's sword cut through Ghost's neck but it phased through his neck not damaging him at all. Ghost used his semblance again to phase through the roof the destroyed building and two floors to make so vertical distance between him and Remus. Believing he was safe, Ghost squatted on the floor and exhaled loudly.

"Thank you Spectre. How many times have you saved my skin," Ghost spoke to himself as if he was speaking to his semblance. He reached for his neck and caressed it. _"Decapitation,"_

" That kid, he was gonna kill me," he said in disbelief. "This was supposed to be an easy job."

While speaking to himself, several bolts of energy blasted through the ceiling leaving multiple holes. Bursting through the ceiling was Remus who looked like a machine locked onto its target. Wanting to get out of the situation, Ghost used the ice dust, slammed the palm of the gauntlet on the ground and created a wall of ice that separated the two fighters. He relaxed a little thinking he was safe until he saw a bright blue light shining through the ice. Remus shot through the ice with his railgun multiple times. Before the entire wall of ice crumbled, Ghost used Spectre to phase through the floor again before Remus could see him. When he made it to the next floor he knew Remus would inevitably follow him.

"I'm not going through this crap again," Ghost said as he activated the fire dust in his gauntlet this time and once again slammed it on the floor. This time the floor around him engulfed in flames and in a few seconds the entire room was burning. Ghost did this move again on the next two floors and phased through to the ground floor satisfied with his work.

"He wouldn't dare follow me now-" his words were interrupted by Remus falling through the ceiling covered in debris and soot. Ghost looked at Remus in astonishment.

 _"The kid is smiling? He's a psychopath!"_ Ghost thought frantically. He didn't want to be around Remus anymore.

Remus changed his weapon to sword form and moved in to attack. In a last ditch effort to escape, Ghost phased through the ground before Remus could make it in time. Remus looked around for a little while and did not see Ghost anywhere. With the battle at an end, the ferocity in Remus's eyes vanished and he returned to his usual demeanor. Remus exited the building and tried to find his way back to a populated area in Fortuna.

The building where the battle took place went up in flames and looking at it in the distance was Ghost standing next to a boulder.

"Well that certainly was a debacle," an unknown voice said. Ghost got into a fighting stance and scanned the area for the owner of the voice. Looking above, he saw Silver standing on top of the boulder. Silver activated his semblance and casually walked down the side of the boulder while keeping his eyes on an unimpressed Ghost.

"And you are?" Ghost said looking ready for another fight.

"Silver, a member of the team you wanted to speak to. I understand you have a message for me?"

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"If you don't believe me, maybe I'll call my friend over and have him verify it for you," Silver threatened in a joking manner knowing Ghost wouldn't want to go for round two.

"Alright alright! I'll take your word for it," Ghost said frenzied not wanting to see Remus anytime soon.

"Turquoise wants to talk to Team VRSZ. About what, I don't know. I'm just her messenger. Here is the location of the rendezvous point. Be there tomorrow at noon." Ghost handed Silver a piece of paper with the location written down then took his leave.

Before he left, he turned to Silver. "You might want to check your friend there. He tried to kill me and didn't hesitate to do it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's a demon." Ghost said a little unnerved then he left.

"I don't know about a demon , but I don't think he's human either," Silver said to himself before he left as well to pick up his wandering friend.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

"REMUS! REMUS, WHERE ARE YOU!?" Violet shouted not caring if she made a scene.

"REMUS!" Zelts shouted too.

The two were searching through the area for their lost comrade but their efforts were fruitless.

"Where is he? Where did wander off to? Ugh, this is all my fault. I should have been keeping a closer eye on him,some leader I am," Violet said upset with the situation and herself. Zelts placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Don't worry, we'll find him. Besides it's Remus, he's not a child. He-" Zelts stopped talking when Violet gave him a look that said 'Really?'

"...You know, maybe we should keep looking," Zelts said forsaking his earlier statement and continued his search.

"I understand what you're trying to say but it's more than that. He's clearly inexperienced when it comes to the world and I should've done better at watching him."

Before Zelts can consult her again he saw something in the distance that caught his eye. Silver was walking toward them with Remus beside him. He shook Violet's shoulder to get her attention and pointed in the direction they were coming from. The worry on her face vanished as they rushed over to their teammates.

"Remus! I'm so glad you're okay," Violet said happily then look confused at Remus's appearance. "What happened to you?" She said looking at the soot covering his body and noticing the scent of fire attached to his body.

Violet looked at Silver expecting an explanation. "Don't look at me, I found him like this."

"Remus what happened?" she said worried.

"I was attacked by someone. He said something about working for Turquoise but nothing else. I fought him but he escaped and I tried to find him then Silver found me," Remus explained.

"Thank you, Silver. Did you see anything before you met Remus?" Violet asked.

"...Nope," Silver lied.

Violet let out a sigh. "So much for a relaxing day. Let's head home," Violet said and team VRSZ made their way to her car.

Silver reached into his pocket and took a hold to the sheet of paper with the information Ghost gave him to make sure it was still there.

"Turquoise wants to meet the team huh? Sorry to disappoint but it's just gonna be you and me."


	6. Invitation Part 2

**Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

After the failure of the first day off, Zelts convinced Violet to try again but this time they will remain home to enjoy their free time. Violet was in the living room sitting in her love seat watching television with Zelts and Remus who were eating bowls of cereal while sitting on the couch. Silver, on the other hand, has yet to leave his room this morning as he was preparing for the confrontation with Turquoise by making sure Ceasefire was functioning in top form.

Silver is well-informed on how these kinds of meetings works and it could get ugly if the wrong thing is said. Seeing as how he was going alone instead of the entire team like she originally requested, he'd rather be prepared for the worst. Reaching under his bed, Silver pulled out a metal box and inside that box was dust, specifically Violet's dust. Silver sneaked into her room one day to snoop and one thing he found was her large dust collection. He took several rounds of fire dust for himself with a 'Whatever Violet doesn't know won't hurt her' mentality.

With only an hour before the designated get-together, Silver left his room and quickly walked through the living room while grabbing the keys to the jeep.

"Hey. Where are you going?" Violet asked Silver right when he was grasping the handle of the door. Her question and Silver's long silence captured the attention of Remus and Zelts creating a scene Silver wished to avoid.

"Um..eh...I-uh...have to go get-um...I need to do a-uh..." Silver failed to come up with a good reason to leave on his day off. The pressure getting to him, Silver just made a random excuse he believed wouldn't come any with follow-up questions.

"...bowel movement," Silver said awkwardly and immediately left the base leaving Violet and Zelts confused and disturbed while Remus seemed convinced.

 **Setting: The Outskirts of Fortuna**

Silver made it to the destination with twenty minutes to spare. All he could do now was wait, wait until Turquoise arrived. The fact that the others didn't follow him meant that they bought his story, that or were too disgusted to go after him. Either way, he was able to keep them out of it.

 _I wonder what they're doing right now?_

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

The rest of Team VRSZ were in the same position they were in when Silver left. Remus was still watching television with Zelts. Violet was sitting in her love seat but instead of watching with them, she appeared to be doodling on a notepad and it looked like all her focus was on whatever she was writing.

"What'cha writing?" Zelts asked breaking her concentration.

Violet hesitated to answer his question. She held the notepad closer to her body and looked embarrassed about what she wrote.

"Promise not to laugh?" Violet asked very shy about what she wrote down. This was something she wanted to keep to herself.

"Promise." Zelts smiled genuinely which made her feel a little better about sharing her work.

"Since we're a team and all, I thought it would cool if we... had team attacks, so...I've been coming up with ideas for some attacks based on our skills." Violet looked at Zelts for approval.

"That sounds pretty cool. What have you come up with so far?" Zelts asked and he saw a shine in Violet's eyes.

"Here, let me show you."

 **Setting: The Outskirts of Fortuna**

As time passed, Silver continued to wait in silence. Looking at his phone, he saw that it was noon and should be expecting Turquoise anytime now. Another hour passed and no one was there besides Silver who was growing impatient. Frustrated that Turquoise didn't keep her end of the bargain, Silver was about to leave. Behind him, a figure was slowly rising from the ground. The figure was Ghost who phased through the earth and sand to stand behind Silver undetected. He gently placed Purgatory on the back of Silver's head and before the gunman could respond, Sliver's entire head was encased in ice and his body fell to the ground.

 **Setting: Unknown**

Silver slowly regained consciousness from the frozen black abyss his mind was swimming in. When he came to, he realized he was laying on a couch in a very large room. Further inspecting the room, Silver noticed it was surrounded by water. The walls, and floor were some kind of glass containing the water making the room look very similar to an aquarium and it made him feel like a prisoner.

"Yo" a feminine voice said snapping Silver out of his current state of mind.

In front of him was a desk and behind that desk was a girl sitting in a chair. She wore a sky-blue hoodie and white shorts. Beneath that, Silver could see that she was wearing a blue-green bikini like she was planning go to the beach. Her hair was the same color as her bikini and was in a pixie cut. She wore light pink sandals and next to her was some kind of weird metal surfboard.

"How ya feeling? I hope my buddy Ghost didn't cause any... haha brain freeze," the girl laughed at her own joke while Silver looked confused.

"Soooo I'm guessing you're Turquoise?" Silver said unimpressed by the girl's relaxed disposition. She appeared lazy, unrefined, basically someone who doesn't look like they belong in position in the criminal underworld let alone any position of power.

"Yeah that's me, but sometimes I wish I wasn't. Being a part of organized crime is such a bore. You know, when I first got to this town stealing dust was chaotic, risky, and fun. It was so fun that old man Terra Cotta's gang would clash with me over and over until Royal contacted us to behave and work under him for great pay. Man what a pain that turned out to be." Turquoise continued to drone on but Sliver stopped paying attention a long time ago.

 _"She doesn't seem like a threat. ...Should I shoot her now just to end this?"_

"Oh I almost forgot, wasn't the whole team suppose to be here?"

"They were ...too occupied so they sent me as compensation. So on behalf of team VRSZ, what the hell do you want?"

"Rude, anyway already told you what a pain organized crime is and having VRSZ on my back wouldn't help either, so I want to hire VRSZ as my own gang."

"What?"

"That's right. With my old rival Terry gone, I have less to worry about and having VRSZ on my side would be even better. And with more people around, we can totally party. It's been so lonely just me and Ghost and he isn't much for partying like me," Turquoise said which caught Silver's ear.

"Wait it's just you and the other guy?"

"Yeah"

"But you said your gang rivaled Terra Cotta's gang. Were their more of you or-"

"No, just me at first then I recruited Ghost."

"But, how?"

"I'm that strong." she said grinning.

 _"Guess she isn't such a pushover as I thought. She's right in front of me, but, I don't think I can beat her, not on my own,"_ Silver thought a little worried about how this conversation will end.

"Don't worry, I'm not expecting an immediate answer, just think about it. Oh, and as of now, any further aggression between us before an answer is made and it's war," she threatened in a lax manner, but Silver could see that she meant it.

"Deal," Silver said as he got off of the couch ready to leave.

"Hopefully I won't have to leave the same way I got her- AAARRRGGGHHH!" Silver was electrocuted before he could finish his sentence. He fell to the ground and behind him was Ghost with Purgatory discharging electricity from the palm.

"You know you didn't have to do that," Turquoise said as she looked impassively at Silver's unconscious body. Even though she said this, she didn't care either way.

"He didn't want to be frozen so this was the alternative."

 **Setting: Outskirts of Fortuna**

Ghost carried an unconscious Silver back to the rendezvous point to drop him off in the sand and leave him there before he woke up.

"You're not going to have your way with me are you?" Ghost stopped in his tracks surprised that Silver was now conscious and cracking jokes. Seeing as how Silver was awake, Ghost ungracefully dropped him from over his shoulder and walked away.

 _"Silent as the grave huh?"_ Silver thought.

Silver picked himself up and left as well seeing this as the beginning and end of their conversation. When he got a closer look at Ghost's retreating figure, he noticed something about his jacket.

 _"His jacket is ..familiar. It's ripped up and all but it looks like it belongs to...no, no I'm just imagining things."_

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Silver opened the front door to the base and saw his teammates in the same position they've been in since he left six hours ago. They saw him come in but returned to watching television as part of their day off. Silver sauntered down the hall back to his room.

"Silver," Remus called out before Silver could exile himself to his room.

"Yeah," Silver said quite tired from his private meeting, and getting frozen and shocked didn't help either.

"How was your bowel movement?" Remus said grabbing the attention of everyone else in the living room as they looked at Remus surprised by his question then at Silver waiting for his response.

"Long, hard, and painful," Silver said before he went to his room and dropped on his bed to go to sleep early.

His answer received expressions of disgust from Violet and Zelts but Remus looked confused and looked to his remaining teammates for his follow-up question.

"What does bowel movement mean?" This was not a topic Violet nor Zelts wanted to dive into on their day off.

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Zelts's name is Latvian for Gold.**

 **Remus's full name is Remus Cobalt.**


	7. Mark of Leadership Part 1

**Setting: Fortuna**

Violet stomped down the streets of Fortuna fuming with rage. Pedestrians stepped away from the angry girl fearing to be on the receiving on her wrath. She stormed through the town with no real destination, all she knew was that she couldn't return home yet.

 _"This is so frustrating! I want my life back,"_ Violet thought furiously as she continued to trudge on her endless expedition.

"Wallflower?" a voice said and Violet turned her head sharply to the source. She saw Lady of Fortuna herself, Clair de Lune Vantablack, sitting at a table outside a tea shop drinking a cup of their merchandise.

Her attire was different from the one she wore when they met in Edesia. She wore a white ruffle collar blouse, a black skirt that stopped just above her knees, and she wore black heels with silver stones that resembled stars. The feature that always tend to stand out the most was her Vantablack hair which still looked blacker than night even during the daytime. Today, she fashioned it into a tousled hairstyle that slightly covered her left eye giving Claire an air of mystery. She showed a face of worry which betrayed her natural beauty.

"What's wrong dear? You look like you're ready to break something or someone," Clair said with motherly concern.

Violet stared at Claire for a long time debating whether or not she can trust her. However, her anger ate away at her patience and she took a seat at Clair's table

"Here's what happened."

 **Flashback**

Violet gathered her team into the kitchen. Violet had a smile on her face ready to make her fantasies a reality. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"Mind telling us what we're doing here _boss_ ," Silver said putting a lot of sarcasm on boss.

Violet's smile quickly changed to a frown before she turned to her teammates.

"As leader of Team VRSZ, I decided we need to work on more teamwork. So far we've been doing individual missions or ones that only need two of us, but we never really done anything as a team since Terra Cotta. There are other threats out there like Turquoise and Royal so we have to be prepared."

"We're not gonna trust fall like they do in camp are we?" Silver said shivering at the thought.

"No, we're going to work on making team attacks that combine our strengths. Now let's begin, everyone take a seat at the table or find room," Violet said with confidence.

As Remus and Silver were moving ahead, Zelts walked to Violet "Very good. You really are thinking like a leader."

"You think so?"

"Yes. This will surely improve the team's relationship, something a new team like this needs. It's a win-win."

With everyone ready and waiting for Violet's command, she looked to her notepad for the team attacks she written down a few days ago. "Alright boys, here's the what I have listed." Violet placed the list on the table and her teammates looked at the first move on the list.

 ** _Delta Stream_** : Zelts points one of his blades to his opponent and creates a funnel of wind by rotating his swords to stun and keep them at bay. Remus then enters the funnel which drastically increases his speed and he rides the wind until he reaches his opponents and unleashes a powerful slash with his sword that slices the opponent with increased attack power.

"Imaginative. I'm so used to making giant tornadoes to dispatch opponents that I never really thought about making anything smaller or anything like a funnel. Remus, do you think you can ride the wind?" Zelts asked smiling knowing the answer.

"Yes" Remus said still looking at Violet's notepad. Their approval encouraged Violet to continue. "Here Remus, this next combo is for you and me."

 ** _Cloak and Dagger_** : Remus teleports in front of the opponent and attacks relentlessly in order to draw their full attention while Violet uses her semblance to be unseen and undetected. Remus continues to wear the enemy down as Violets gets closer to the opponent and land a finishing blow to their blindspot.

"Do you like that one?" Violet said looking at Remus with a grin. He looked at her and copied her expression. "Zelts we have one as well."

 ** _Petal Storm_** : Zelts creates a tornado that swallows all opponents close to it then Violet throws multiple Vorpal Swords that travel up the tornado then rip the opponents to shreds. She can use one of her elemental Vorpal Swords to add additional effects, like ice dust to create a hailstorm inside the tornado to mercilessly pelt opponents (Diamond Dust).

"This one shows you put some real thought into these team attacks Violet. I think we can make them happen."

Violet was going to continue until she noticed Silver left the kitchen to watch TV in the living room. She grabbed her notepad and walked over to Silver who was slouching as far as possible as he flipped through channels.

"Don't you want to look at the team attacks Silver? I have attacks with you next, you should read-"

"I think you're getting too attached to this team," Silver interrupted.

"What are you talking about?" Violet said offended by his words and Silver sighed.

"Look I know you're excited about all this teamwork and stuff, but you know this team won't last long enough for this to work right? I don't know if you figured this out but Team VRSZ is temporary any way you look at it. We have a common enemy and when that's gone, boom, we go our separate ways."

"Common enemy!? We have no common enemy. YOU picked a fight with Royal, YOU begged to live here, YOU are the cause of all this and once your done you're going to leave!? You can't mean that, right?" Violet asked with mixed emotions and their argument was getting the attention of the others.

"What are you getting so upset about? You made it clear you weren't a fan of this 'team' invading your home. Having a change of heart?" Silver's words were met with silence as Violet didn't know what to say.

Violet wouldn't admit her true feelings out loud. She didn't like this arrangement at first, but she has grown accustomed to their presence. Her lonely life was over and before she knew it, Team VRSZ was her new normal, even Silver. She can admit that they never met eye to eye but deep down she thought there some glimmer of a bond. Not as firm as her bonds with Remus and Zelts but there had to be something. The fact that Silver didn't feel the same way about her or the team actually hurt her deeply.

"I'm an opportunist. I use whatever I can, whoever I can, whenever I can to my advantage. When I got here I already planned to take down the criminal underground. You guys got involved and I saw...this 'team' as a shortcut to my objective nothing more, nothing less. You guys make the job so much easier. And once the job is done, I'm out," Silver said seeing that Violet wasn't going to say anything. She stood there paralyzed by his blatant disrespect of what these past few weeks of camaraderie. Violet clenched her fists tightly scrunching up the notepad. Silver himself was regretting his choice of words but thought there was no turning back now.

"Silver stop! I know you didn't mean a word of what you just said. Take it back." Zelts got up and stood between him and Violet. Silver got up and stared Zelts down. Violet stayed behind Zelts' form and Remus remained in the kitchen but looked at the situation confused and unsure of what to do.

Silver and Zelts continued their staring contest for about a minute until Silver realized he wasn't backing down.

"Tch. I don't need this." Silver walked to the door and left. Silence filled the base after he left.

"I'm guessing you want me to go after him and bring him back right? For the good of the team?" Violet said to Zelts expecting his answer to be yes but Zelts' prolonged silence worried her.

"I don't know. That's for you to decide."

"What do you mean I have to decide?"

"Whether Silver admits it or not one thing is certain this team is real and you are our leader. In times like these you have to make a decision."

"A decision on what?" she asked knowing what he was going to say next.

"To keep Silver on this team or..." Zelts didn't want to finish his sentence but Violet knew what he was talking about.

"Wait, you're the one always sticking up for him all this time."

"I know, but this is different. This has become a turning point for Team VRSZ, but more importantly, it's a turning point for you," Zelts said shocking Violet.

"Silver's attitude cannot be tolerated anymore. He'll jeopardize the whole team with his rogue behavior and you have to put an end to it one way or the other. Reprimand him or kick him off the team, those are your only choices," Zelts said in an unsympathetic tone than he usually uses and all it did was upset Violet even more.

"I- But I don't know which is the right choice," Violet said struggling to keep her composure.

"There is no such thing as a right or wrong choice. Every choice in life has a cost. You're a leader Violet, whatever choice you make is the one you must stick by, and we'll follow that choice with you. You must be unwavering because this is merely the first of many."

Violet's head was facing the floor with her eyes focused on her feet. She felt so much pressure on her shoulders that she couldn't bear it.

 _"This is too much. I don't know what to do. Why does this have to fall to me? I never wanted to be in charge of anything, that's why I abandoned everything to live here. None of this would be happening if I never met them,"_

Fed up with Silver's words and Zelts' strict schooling, she dropped her notepad where she stood and left the base in the same manner Silver did only she took the jeep with her to drive to Fortuna.

The fallen notepad landed on the next page with several other moves written down. The first one was titled **_Thick As Thieves (T.A.T)_**.

 **End of Flashback**

* * *

"I needed to get away and now I'm here." Violet ended her tale feeling more composed now that she vented to Clair.

"Seems like an ordeal,"Clair said before she took a sip of tea. She seemed unfazed by her story due to her calm expression throughout the account. "Are you feeling better darling?" she asked her guest who started sinking in her chair.

"I don't know. This is so much in such a short time. I feel like life would've been better if..." she hesitated to finish her sentence. Clair looked into Violet's eyes and knew what she was going to say.

Clair rose from her chair and walked past Violet whose eyes followed her. Clair faced her and extended her hand. "Come. I have things to do and I don't want to leave you alone. I'll hear you out Wallflower."

Violet stared for a few seconds before following Clair. She couldn't understand it but this woman made her feel safe, a different feeling she doesn't get from her team, probably because she was in the presence of another girl. She usually didn't enjoy the company of people, especially other girls, but Clair was different. Right now, she created a nurturing environment that made Violet feel safe.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

Silver was in Moneta pretending to look for new missions as his mind was thinking about the team and the things he said. He groaned loudly over the things that happened earlier today.

 _"I probably went too far but..I didn't say anything that wasn't true. I made this team for one thing, the mission, the REAL mission. This job can't have any distractions,"_ Silver thought but his mind was bouncing between this statement and the team. He shook his head to clear his mind. " _Once Royal is gone, the mission is over and phase 2 & 3 can begin."_

"Is everything all right Master Silver?" Silver was brought back to reality when he heard Moneta's proprietor, Sterling standing behind him.

"Oh hey old man. Yeah I'm fine, just thinking."

"About which new mission will lead you to Royal? You are a relentless one I'll give you that, but maybe it's better to leave things as they are. I don't think Royal is going away anytime soon."

"No I...I can't stop here. Once Royal is gone it'll be over and..maybe...my life will be better." Silver said too low and more to himself than to Sterling.

"What was that sir?" Sterling asked.

"Nothing" Silver deterred. "Um, I need a new approach to this Royal business. You know anything about him or the Vantablacks?" Silver said trying to change the conversation.

"Hmm Royal's been around for a few years but he's very secretive, I'm afraid I can't help you there."

"Ugh didn't think so," Silver said slightly dissatisfied.

"But I can tell you whatever you need on the Vantablack family."

"Really?"

"Of course after all, I am a Vantablack," Sterling said with a smile.

"WAIT WHAT!" Silver yelled.

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Ages of Current Characters:**

 **Violet: 17** **Silver: 17** **Remus: 15** **Zelts: 19**

 **Turquoise: 23 Ghost: 16**

 **Clair de Lune Vantablack: 21 Sterling Vantablack: 55**

 **Fortuna is a goddess from Roman mythology said to bring good or bad luck. This is played upon by the residents of Fortuna who say their good and bad luck is the whim of Fortuna. Other major buildings in Fortuna like Moneta and Edesia have names based on Roman gods and goddesses.**


	8. Mark of Leadership Part 2

**Setting: Moneta**

"You're a Vantablack!?" Silver shouted in disbelief.

"Yes," Sterling said in a calm tone.

"You've seen me come in her for information on Royal and the Vantablacks for weeks and you never thought to mention this!?"

"You never asked," Sterling quipped dissatisfying Silver's curiosity.

"Well to rectify any troubles, I'll tell you about us. The Vantablacks are an aristocratic family. For generations we've been very influential in parts of the world in some governmental bodies, but we prefer to do it...behind the scenes as a sort of...advisers to the elite and leaders of the world while also partaking in philanthropy out of the public eye. However, we decided to change our ways and make a contribution to Remnant with everyone watching. That's when we stumbled upon Fortuna and decided to resurrect it."

"Resurrect it?" Silver questioned.

* * *

 **Setting: Clothing Store**

"Well, I think a better word would be restoration," Clair said as she was looking through clothes and Violet was leaning on a wall watching Clair pick outfits. "Hmm this is cute. Do you want to try this on Wallflower?" Clair held out a frilly pink dress covered in polka-dots. Violet scrunched her face in so much disgust and Clair could see her answer was no. She put the dress back where she found it and continued looking through clothing. Violet is unsure how their conversation led up to this topic.

"Back to the story, the original Fortuna wasn't like this, more accurately, this Fortuna was built on top of the old one. Fortuna was originally a project created to improve the living standards of the citizens of Vacuo in hopes of giving them a home that had strong laws and kept them safe from bandits and thieves, but due to freak sandstorms many years ago, the city was mostly buried underground leaving the tops of skyscrapers as two to four story buildings. The whole time you've been here, you never took a serious look around town?"

* * *

"It crossed my mind once but I didn't think it was too important," Silver said.

"After the sandstorms ceased, the project was abandoned until the our family came to the remains of the city and took charge. With their help, the city transformed into a town on top of a buried city where prosperity flourished and the Vantablack family reigned with the world watching," Sterling said finishing his history lesson.

"So the Vantablacks are what, the saviors of Fortuna? That doesn't explain why Royal is gunning for your family."

* * *

"Honestly, I don't know myself. Probably just wants to take Fortuna from us and he appeared at the opportune moment, when I took over my father's role as ruler. He probably thought I was a child that didn't know what she was doing." Violet picked up on Clair's change in tone and sullen look. This topic clearly made her upset. She didn't know what or how she should comfort her.

Clair's sad face was quickly replaced by a happy one. She was going back and forth on the emotional spectrum. "Alas, sometimes I felt unworthy of ruling but lucky for me, I had others that supported me, like Uncle Sterling." Violet was listening calmly until she mentioned Sterling.

"Yes, the same Sterling you talk to everyday you go to Moneta. He's my father's brother and my uncle," Clair said before Violet could speak. "He made me feel better with stories. My favorite is the one about the legendary hero and how the first Fortuna fell not from sandstorms but by a spectacular battle."

* * *

"Thirty years ago, when the first Fortuna was reaching the final stages of construction, a massive wave of Grimm appeared in the desert. They came out of nowhere, swarmed in such a large mass that they created an sea of black in the Vacuo desert. All nearby huntsmen and huntresses were called upon to help with great threat, however, no one wanted to risk their lives in such a one-sided battle. With no one willing to fight, Fortuna was all but abandoned and the swarm of Grimm would spread across Vacuo. The Grimm were on their way into the empty city until one man appeared before them. He fearlessly stood against them wielding a giant blade in each hand. The Grimm charged and the unwavering man battled them ferociously. His attacks were strong, eliminating Grimm in one blow and the strength of his attacks were so powerful that they moved the very desert itself, blasting all enemies before him with only the sheer force of his blades. He was able to control the wind and vanquished huge hordes with powerful windstorms. He was able to fend off the Grimm but every whirlwind he made carried massive amounts of sand which not only changed the landscape but slowly covered the entire city as the battle progressed. After three days and nights of battle, the Grimm were reduced from thousands to a mere few dozens. The remaining Grimm retreated leaving the hero the only one left standing, only for him to fall moments later. Neither his body or weapons were ever found. Some people believe he died in the desert while others think he's alive living a life of solitude. He won the battle but Fortuna was submerged so deep in sand that the project was abandoned. The legend of a hero who stood against all odds, very inspiring."

"Is it true?" Silver asked.

"Heh heh heh, most people think it's a legend but few know the truth. I remember it well. I was a young man when the catastrophe befell Fortuna. Most people think the Grimm and the city were destroyed by massive freak sandstorms, my family included, but I saw him before he left for his endeavor but that was also the last time I saw him."

Feeling like their conversation took a long turn, Silver decided to leave with that information.

"Thanks for the verbal detour old man, almost forgot why I was fretting," Silver thanked in his own way.

"Anytime you need to talk, I'll be happy to lend my services Master Silver," Sterling said before Silver left Moneta.

* * *

"I'm sorry for derailing our conversation, but you didn't look like you were ready to open up about your problem. Do you feel better? Clair said with concern and Violet could only sigh.

"Yeah I do but, Silver is just so infuriating and I don't know whether or not to just be done with him. This whole team thing is a headache sometimes and I wonder if...maybe I should end VRSZ altogether."

"No you mustn't. You were always alone before they came along and I think their company has been a good change for you, even Silver," Clair said trying to dissuade Violet but her comment made Violet more wary that Clair knows too much about her personal life.

"You have no idea what It's like living with him!? He's rude, messy, always does stuff on his own, uses the others like their tools, and he is so intrusive. In short, he is the type of person I would never be friends with in any other circumstance." Violet pinched the area between her eyebrows as she complained but it made Clair giggled.

"I'm sorry, but it's just that you two sound like such good friends. You know so much about each other," She said with an infectious smile but the topic of conversation didn't make her feel the same way.

"You haven't lived under the same roof as him. He's so annoying, sometimes I want to throw a Vorpal Sword just for the fun of it." Violet grinned at picturing the idea.

"When people who are so different come together, something amazing will be born," Clair preached and Violet didn't understand the meaning of her words.

"Huh?"

"Zelts is a reliable and well-mannered young man, Remus is just adorable, and Silver is a more of a diamond in the rough. You're all so different but together you formed VRSZ and forged something powerful and unique. I think having Silver around will be beneficial but if you want to get rid of him it's up to you darling." Clair's words made Violet think about her decision.

 _"There is no such thing as a right or wrong choice. Every choice in life has a cost. You're a leader Violet, whatever choice you make is the one you must stick by, and we'll follow that choice with you. You must be unwavering because this is merely the first of many,"_ Zelts's own words echoed in her mind. She had to make a choice.

"They're my boys. I have to decide what's best for them," Violet said and her use of possession caught Clair's ear.

"Oh dear, my free time is almost up," Clair said as she looked at her watch. "Time to get back to work. Will you escort me to my office Wallflower?" Violet nodded thinking the walk will give her more time to think about Silver.

 **Setting: Concordia**

"This is where I work, Concordia," Clair said stretching her arm out in the direction of the building.

The building itself was impressive in Violet's opinion. It stood five stories high with artistic detail on the walls. Beautiful sculptures of people surrounded the entrance and two tall columns at the main door. Violet also noticed this building is located in the center of Fortuna. Violet walked through the main floor of Concordia to the stairs with Clair to her office that also doubled as her penthouse at the top floor.

"I prefer the stairs over the elevator, it's a great workout. I hope you don't mind?" Clair said as she turned her head to face Violet but to her surprise she was actually trailing behind her. "This is nothing," Violet said and Clair could only smile.

 **Setting: Outside Concordia**

Silver roamed the streets of Fortuna after getting information from Sterling. After walking a good distance, he leaned against the wall of Concordia and sighed, contemplating on what to do next.

 _"I still need this team to finish my mission. Guess I need to go back and apologize,"_ he thought to himself. Silver looked up at the sky but he caught of glimpse of something out of the ordinary. "What the?"

Silver saw a figure in a white clothing scaling the building he was leaning on with a peculiar glove.

 _"Wait a minute, I've seen that gauntlet...and that jacket before,"_

Before Silver could do anything, the man climbing the building reached the top and phased through the wall. "Yep that's definitely Ghost."

Remembering Turquoise's warning, Silver decided to leave Ghost to his own affairs since he doesn't think VRSZ can take on Turquoise yet. Before he could leave an explosion just occurred where Ghost entered. Ghost appeared again but this time he was being tackled through the hole by a girl.

 _"Wait a... Dammit that's!"_ Silver thought as he watched the two fall from the five story building.

 **A few minutes earlier**

Clair and Violet made it to the fifth floor and were outside Clair's door. "Thank you for accompanying today darling. I hope you feel better about your team."

"Yeah, I do. I made my choice, now I just gotta find Silver. I'm just trying to do what's right for my boys."

"I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine." Good luck with Royal, I hope to see you again Wallflower, you and your boy-toys," Clair said the last part teasingly and Violet blushed but couldn't retaliate because Clair already entered her quarter and closed the door.

Violet huffed and walked back to the stairs until she heard some odd sounds. She looked around but saw nothing they started again and Violet suspected it was coming from outside. She waited for something to happen but nothing did. She went to the stairway and closed the door behind her. As the door was about to close, Violet slowed her movement before shutting it and out of the small gap, she could see someone phase through the wall and head for Clair's door.

Violet burst through the door and threw several fire Vorpal Swords around the unknown person and exploded blasting a hole in the wall but Clair's door is unscathed. The boy also appeared unharmed but was stunned by the surprise attack and Violet used the chance to tackle him but she accidentally pushed him through the hole in the wall and didn't have a plan for a landing.

" _Dammit!"_ Violet thought.

* * *

 _ **Additional Information**_

 **Violet Tulipe is not Violet's real name. Silver isn't Silver's real name either but a nickname he prefers over his real name.**

 **Team's Height:**

 **Violet: 5'8 Remus: 5'6 Silver: 5'8 Zelts: 6'3**

 **Team Symbols:**

 **Violet: Purple Tulip on her Vorpal Sword Bag**

 **Remus: Blue Delta Triangle tattooed on the base of his neck.**

 **Silver: Silver Crossbones on Ceasefire's holsters**

 **Zelts: A Gold Feather on each blade of the Wings of Icarus. Both can be seen on the front of the shield.**

 **Inspirations**

 **Violet Tulipe is based on Alice in Wonderland. Her color scheme and semblance come from the Cheshire Cat and her weapon name originates from the weapon used to slay the Jabberwocky.**

 **Remus is named after the legend of Remus & Romulus. His symbol comes from the Greek alphabet and will have a significant meaning later in the story. His weapon is named after a military railgun project motto and demonstrates how his fighting style focuses on speed. (The name translated means Speed Kills)**

 **Silver Synch is based on 101 Dalmatians. His name symbolizes his dual identity as a hero and a villain and his last name contradicts his "loner" attitude. The name of his weapon symbolizes his dislike of killing people.**

 **Zelts Allister is based on Peter Pan. His symbol and weapon name represents his dream of flying free in the sky and is slightly jealous of Silver who's semblance gives him a taste of that freedom. When Zelts uses his semblance his hand glow gold to symbolize pixie dust and when Zelts uses his vortex dust his wind changes color from green to a shimmering gold to symbolize pixie dust as well.**


	9. Mark of Leadership Part 3

**Setting: Outside Concordia**

Violet and Ghost were falling from the fifth floor of Concordia with Silver watching from below.

 _"I don't have a way out of this, wait,"_ Violet thought then she tightened her grip on Ghost. _"My only hope is to use him as a cushion,"_ Violet continued to hold Ghost below her but a second later, she felt nothing as she saw Ghost phase through her grip, hands, and body to position himself away from Violet leaving her to fate. With no other options available, Violet shut her eyes and waited to hit the pavement but instead of street she felt something else. She opened her eyes to see that she was still in the air but she was slowly descending to the ground, but more importantly, she was in someone's arms, Silver's arms.

"You really taking dropping in to a whole new level," Silver said as he used Gravity to gently lower them to the ground while Ghost phased through it. Citizens of Fortuna watched the spectacle and Clair stood in front of the hole Violet created and watched the events unfold.

On the ground, Violet stood next to Silver on her own feet to compose herself. "Ahem, thank you Silver."

"That's what I'm here for."

Before anything else could be said, Ghost popped out of the ground. "Oh it's you. Why are you getting in my business?" Ghost said to Silver.

"Hey Ghost. It's been forever and a day since I've seen you."

"Actually it's only been a day," Ghost said and with a sense of familiarity that confused Violet.

"Silver, how do you know him?"

"W..well, it's a long story." Silver hesitated to answer.

"Your friend here had a meeting with my boss Turquoise not too long ago."

"You did WHAT!" Violet yelled in Silver's ear. "I can't believe you would do something so reckless and behind my back! This is why I can't trust you!"

"I did it to get info on Turquoise, whether you trust me or not, believe me when I say everything I do is so the team can succeed, it's all for the team," Silver said hoping Violet would listen to him.

She remained silent for a moment. "We'll discuss this later."

"Don't get any ideas. I'm only here for the Lady of Fortuna. Interfere and my boss will come after VRSZ with the force of a tsunami," Ghost threatened as he raised Purgatory to show he meant what he said.

Violet looked at Clair and remembered what she said;

 _"he appeared at an opportune moment, when I took over my father's role as ruler. He probably thought I was a child that didn't know what she was doing"_

Without a word Violet threw a Vorpal Sword at Ghost's feet and it exploded sending him back a couple feet and causing the crowd of onlookers to flee the scene.

"We're not as weak as you think," Violet said as a double meaning for Team VRSZ and for Clair who smiled at her words.

Silver exhaled a long breath and pointed Ceasefire in Ghost's direction. "Sorry Ghost, but the boss lady has made up her mind. No hard feelings, right?"

Ghost's response was for him to charge straight for his enemy. He swiped at Silver with Purgatory's claws but his attack was blocked by Silver using one of his guns as he tried to shoot Ghost point blank with the other one. His counterattack would've worked if not for Ghost's semblance which he activated to let the bullet harmlessly go through his body. Seeing the opportunity, Ghost became solid and tried to jab Silver with Purgatory but he received a kick to the face from Violet who saw the precise moment to jump in and attack. She quickly grabbed one of the two Vorpal Sword daggers she keeps strapped to the holsters on her legs and tried to slash him on his back but Ghost's semblance was quicker than her and it phased through his body. Spectre remained in effect until he charged Purgatory with lightning dust then pressed it on Violet's chest to shock her. As she was being shocked and grunting in pain, she grabbed hold of Ghost's jacket and behind them, Silver had Ceasefire into twin staff mood and was going to hit Ghost from behind. Seeing through their joint attack, Ghost used Spectre once again and phased through the ground surprising the two fighters. Silver was barely able to stop his momentum and Ceasefire stopped right in front of Violet's face. The would be collision caused Violet and Silver to stare at each other with worry. Ghost jumped out of the ground and slashed Silver with an uppercut to the chin then placed the palm of Purgatory on Violet's stomach and blasted fire dust that pushed her back a few feet to lie on the ground. Silver composed himself then saw Ghost disappear into the ground again. He ran over to Violet as she got herself off up.

"He's a real pain in the ass," Violet said dusting herself off and Silver chuckled.

"If my memory is correct, it's usually around this time you'd come up with a winning strategy. Got anything in the tank?" Silver asked Violet who grinned, something he didn't expect her to do with the odds against them.

"I don't have a plan, more like there's something I'd like to try."

"And that would be?"

"Our team attack. Now would be a good field test for **T.A.T**. "

" **T.A.T**?"

 _"_ **Thick** **As Thieves** "

"Okay, how do we do it?" Silver asked then Violet stood behind him and replaced her dagger with two of her usual throwing Vorpal Swords.

"You have my back and I have yours, that's how it works, got it?" Violet looked into Silver's eyes.

"Got it," Silver answered.

Violet and Silver were standing back to back waiting for Ghost to reappear.

After a few moments of silence, Ghost quickly ascended from the ground and shot spears of ice toward Silver who squeezed Violet's hand to let her know and she reacted by swiftly moving in front of Silver then stabbed the ground in front of them with an earth Vorpal Sword. The earth dust created a wall of stone to block them from the ice spears which pierced the surface but didn't make contact with either of the two warriors. Silver jumped on top of the wall and used his semblance to jump toward Ghost. As he was closing the distance between them, Silver shot rapid fire at Ghost with one of his guns but his attack was useless against Spectre and Ghost quickly moved in for a close-quarter fight. After Silver finished firing, Ghost undid his semblance and charged Purgatory with lightning dust in the palm and slammed it on Silver and electricity surged around them. Ghost smiled at the success of his maneuver. His smiling ceased when he saw Silver doing the same thing. Looking closely at the attack, he saw that his lightning was hitting Silver but what he was holding, a Vorpal Sword that was cancelling his lightning dust with its own lightning dust. _"She gave it to him before he attacked just for this moment. She's anticipating my moves,"_

"Gotcha," Silver said as he smacked Ghost in the head with one of his guns switched to staff mode. Right after his head was struck, an invisible force hit his body as well. Violet appeared undoing her own semblance and showed that she gave Ghost a solid kick to the right side of his rib cage. The impact pushed him down and just as Ghost landed on his back, Violet pounced, she sat on top of him and punched him relentlessly before he could react. After taking several hits to the face, Ghost phased through the ground once again to free himself from Violet's pin and came up again ready to slash her in the face. Violet saw a shadow that wasn't hers or Ghost so she immediately moved out of the way and a rainstorm of bullets showered the area Ghost was occupying, forcing him to continue the activation of Spectre while Silver descended to the ground and Violet stood by his side.

 _"They're too good. I can't take them two on one,"_ Ghost thought but his opponents gave him little time to think.

Silver grabbed Violet's hand and she glowed the same aura color as Silver's aura when he uses Gravity. He tossed her high in the air and she grabbed both dagger Vorpal Swords from their holsters. As the effect of Silver's semblance was beginning to wear off, Ghost kept his eyes on her to make a counterattack, but his concentration on Violet made him forget about Silver who rushed him and beat his body mercilessly with Ceasefire in twin staff mode. He aimed for Ghost's ribs, where Violet attacked earlier, for a weak spot and it proved effective. Silver continued his onslaught by hitting the arms, legs, and knees wearing Ghost down greatly. Ghost stood his ground and was about to retaliate against Silver, but just as he was about to make a move, Violet fell from the sky and with a quick slash from each of her daggers, Ghost screamed in pain and fell to his knees as his aura level was depleted. Ghost quickly phased through the ground and reappeared a far distance from the two. Ghost raised Purgatory but it began to malfunction and stop working surprising Ghost. Examining his weapon, he noticed that there was a slash running down the gauntlet.

 _"Damn, she really wanted to end this fight,"_ Ghost thought as he looked to Clair who was watching the battle the entire time. She looked back at him with a serious look then winked at him making him smile as he looked back to his opponents. _"This isn't good,"_

Out of nowhere, a tornado ran across the street and dispersed just as quickly as it appeared.

"Are you guys alright?" a voice said behind Violet and Silver. They turned around to see Zelts and Remus.

"Remus, Zelts, what are you guys doing here?"

"After the spat you two had, Remus got worried, so we went looking for you guys. Wasn't really hard, all we had to do was listen to the sounds of destruction," Zelts said as Remus approached the two.

"Are you guys... still fighting?" Remus asked with a worried face, something Violet nor Silver expected of the nonchalant boy. Violet and Silver looked at each other then Silver grinned and she did the same.

"No Remus we're not fighting anymore, friends fight sometimes but those fights don't stop us from being friends," Violet said to comfort Remus whose worry faded.

Violet's calm face quickly turned into a face with a fierce look as she returned her attention to Ghost. Each member of VRSZ in battle stance ready to finish off Ghost.

 _"I have no way out of this,"_ Ghost thought to himself as he saw all of Team VRSZ prepared to fight him. With a smile on his face, he closed his eyes waiting for them to finish him off until humming can be heard.

Team VRSZ looked up and saw that the harmonious sounds were coming from Clair de Lune who was singing wordless melodies that enveloped the area. To Violet and the other members, it sounded like sweet nothing but it was having a different effect on Ghost. He fell to his knees and clutched his head in pain.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Ghost screamed before falling unconscious.

"What the... what happened?" Zelts wondered. Violet turned her attention to Clair for an answer.

"You guys aren't the only ones with a semblance. Mine is Songstress, I can use my voice to affect others in a lot of different ways. Like now, I focused it on Ghost to incapacitate him, but like I said, it can do much more," Clair said in a tone that left people wanting more and snapped her fingers.

In an instant, men in black suits and black sunglasses appeared and surrounded Ghost. They picked him up and carried him into a black truck then drove away.

"Thank you for all of your help, but my people will take him into custody. As you witnessed he's the type of person that can't be contained by normal means. Have a pleasant day Team VRSZ," Clair said with a smile then left the hole in the wall to return to her quarters like nothing happened.

The only ones left on the streets, Team VRSZ silently looked at each other to process the events that transpired. "So, are we good?" Zelts asked Violet and Silver.

"Yeah we're good. Let's go home," Violet answered then lead her team toward their base. As they were walking, Violet slowed her pace to walk beside Silver. "Meet me in my room later tonight. We need to talk." she whispered in his ear then quickly walked ahead of him before a reply could be made.

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

Inside her room, Violet sits on her bed and silently waits for Silver to come in. She had a stern look on her face, the type that meant she wasn't in the mood for any games. Her door opened and Silver entered, the look on her face didn't change. Silver looked like he was about to say something snarky like he usually does but when he saw the look on her face, he knew this was a serious matter.

"Um...about the things I said earlier, I...I'm sorry. I grew up in a not-so-kind world where people could be discarded once their usefulness was used up. I shouldn't have the same mentality when it comes to this team, it's different," Silver said but Violet's face remained the same. He wasn't sure if she accepted his apology or she wanted something else.

"I've been thinking about kicking you off the team-" Violet's words sent a chill down Silver's spine.

 _"Is she...just like them?"_ Silver thought a little anxious.

"-but your actions and words today made me rethink my choice." Silver looked at her a little relieved.

"Are you going to listen to what I say?" Violet questioned.

"Yes" Silver answered.

"You will stop keeping secrets from the team," Violet ordered this time.

"Yes"

"You will always stand by your teammates."

"I will."

"Nothing else comes before the team."

"Of course."

"Okay, you can remain on this team Silver."

"Thank you, Violet." Silver said still a little unnerved. Violet walked to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Silver, I lied about what I said earlier, about kicking you off the team, it never crossed my mind. I want you to understand the importance of being on this team." she said before removing her hand.

"Thanks Violet. I'll keep that in mind." Silver said and took his leave from Violet's room. _"Glad that's over with."_

"Oh and Silver."

"Yeah?"

"Never betray me." Violet said in an commanding tone that could be mistaken as a warning.

"...Never" Silver said quietly before leaving her room.

Silver laid in his bed still awake. He stared at the ceiling of his dark room reminiscing about what happened a few hours ago and what he truly thought.

* * *

"Are you going to listen to what I say?" Violet questioned.

"Yes" Silver answered. _No but I'll play along for now._

"You will stop keeping secrets from the team." Violet ordered this time.

"Yes" _Honesty is a sucker's game._

"You will always stand by your teammates."

"I will." _You're all nothing but tools in my grand scheme._

"Nothing else comes before the team."

"Of course." _Everything I do is for the good of the Greyhounds._

Silver closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Violet laid in her bed slaying on her side staring out her window thinking about what she did.

"Thank you, Violet." Silver said still a little unnerved. Violet walked to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Silver, I lied about what I said earlier, about kicking you off the team, it never crossed my mind. I want you to understand the importance of being on this team," she said before removing her hand. When she lowered her hand back to her side, she made sure her tracking device was safely put into his pants pocket without his knowing.

Picking up her phone, she pressed on an icon and the tracer showed that it was working. Violet placed her phone on her dresser and went to sleep.

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 _ **Thick As Thieves (T.A.T)** : Violet and Silver attack opponents with their long-range weapons while closing in to uses the close-combat forms of their weapons to mercilessly strike opponents with perfectly synchronized combos. While Violet and Silver execute this team attack, they watch each other's back to avoid any damage._

 **Clair's semblance is Songstress. By singing, humming or even talking, she can influence others positively or negatively. This gives her a supporting role to aid friends or weaken opponents. She trained with her semblance very well to the point she focus her semblance to affect one person or specific people in a crowd and sometimes uses this semblance to manipulate others.**

 **Concordia is named after the Roman goddess who embodies agreement in marriage and society. The building is the location of Fortuna's governmental body.**

 **Because Violet is originally based on Alice, she was supposed to be a proper polite-mannered girl but I made her a tomboy instead to represent her rebellious attitude. She was also supposed to wear a skirt but I didn't like that idea. Violet's weapon was originally a deck of cards with different kinds of dust but I thought it wouldn't be very practical in battle so I changed them to vorpal swords instead and made Violet a master of every type of card game especially gambling. This is how Violet makes more money besides going on job.**


	10. Bonding

**Setting: Turquoise's Office**

In a room surrounded by nothing but water, Turquoise sat at her desk twiddling a pen between her fingers with an sadden look on her face.

 _"I miss Ghost so much. It's so boring here without him, well, he wasn't much for friendly conversation but still, I miss his presence,"_ Turquoise thought to herself in silence then her face turned sour. _"And they took him from me! VRSZ got Ghost arrested and now I'm all alone, and what's worse-"_

She threw the papers on her desk into the air. "AND NOW I HAVE TO DO ALL THIS WORK ALL BY MYSELF!" she screamed. "GRRRRR! VRSZ! YOU PAY FOR THIS!"

The papers fell to the ground and Turquoise huffed because Ghost wasn't around to pick up her messes anymore. She picked up several before she glanced at one in particular that caught her attention. It was an old wanted poster of herself, before bounty missions became digital, when she first came to Fortuna. At first she thought nothing of it but an idea formed in her head, she smiled devilishly.

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

The next day, in her room, Violet slept soundly in bed with her curtains closed, door locked, and alarm shut off, she obviously wanted nothing to interrupt her sleep.

"Violet? Violet? Are you awake?" A voice said dashing her dreams.

Opening her eyes, Violet saw Remus perched on top of her like he usually does in the morning. In the beginning, she would retaliate in anger, but this has happened so many times and she knows Remus has no ill intent that she accepts this as her new normal.

"Good morning Remus, teleported into my room again?" Violet greeted and he nodded to confirm her guess.

"Zelts and Silver left early to go on some missions together."

"Oh, okay." Violet got to a sitting position and Remus got on the edge of the bed. "And what are we going to do today?" she said as she smiled playfully at Remus with raspy eyes but the only thing Remus did was stare back with a blank face. "Um, what do you want to do?" she asked but he still just stared at her in silence.

"Do you..have any hobbies?" she was still met with staring which made her come to a realization. She doesn't know that much about her teammates like what they like to do when they're not on missions or anything similar to that. The fact that they have been together for at least a month and a half makes it even more embarrassing, especially Remus. Unlike Silver and Zelts, Violet has come to realize that Remus truly doesn't know a lot of things and he's going to need help.

 _"I guess now is a good of time as any,"_

"Remus, tell me what you know. Anything is okay," she said patiently not sure if this would be long or short. Remus tilted his head at the question but gave her an answer.

"I know how to fight," he responded quickly but Violet wasn't satisfied.

"No, no Remus I know you can fight. I mean do you know anything besides fighting."

"Hmm I know how to read, write, I know the names of some things.

 _He knows the basic things,_ "Anything else?"

"I was taught science and mathematics."

"Taught?" _Interesting, he had instructors,_

"Yes, I'll show you." Remus grabbed a sheet of blank paper and a pencil and started writing. Violet didn't know what to expect but what she saw was incredible. Remus didn't do just simple math problems, he was creating complex arithmetic problems and solving them, trigonometry, algebra, and geometry. Violet felt dizzy just looking at his work. "I can show you everything I know in the fields of science if you-"

"NO... no that's okay, I believe you," she interrupted not wanting to scramble her brain before having scrambled eggs.

"Let me get out of these pajamas and make breakfast before we continue, this is too interesting to stop here." _I can finally get to know more about him,_

"Understood" Remus's usual response and he left the room to give Violet her privacy.

An hour later, Violet has made some eggs and toast for the both of them then set it on table for them to eat. Remus ate silently while Violet watched him, wondering what else she could learn about the boy. "So Remus tell me, what was your childhood like?" her question was met with a confused look.

"Childhood?" The word seemed foreign to him and this worried Violet.

"You know what a childhood is right? Memories when you were younger, do you know or remember?" she questioned a little worried about her friend's answer.

" The oldest thing I can remember is opening my eyes for the first time."

"Really? That's amazing! Most people can't go back that far. For you that must have been fifteen years ago, right?"

"No, this happened a couple years ago."

"Wh..wait a minute. Where did you wake up exactly?"

"In a laboratory," Remus said which unnerved Violet. The unusual answer wasn't the only thing that shocked her, it was the way he said, so casual like it was a normal thing. For a long moment, she couldn't say anything.

 _"In a lab... No, he can't be, I won't give Silver the satisfaction,"_ she thought imagining the glee on his face if his assumption of Remus was correct.

"Remus were you...born or...built? She picked her words very carefully so she wouldn't offend the boy, but as always, insults flew over his head.

"Um...I think I was born. The only things I remember doing after waking up was nonstop combat training, and a promise I said I'd keep before I left."

"What promise?" she asked hoping it wasn't diabolical. _"Please don't be world domination,"_

"To leave the lab, never come back, live my own life, and more importantly, to make friends," he said looking at Violet. These words were not something Violet would expect. Remus had a checkered past, that's for sure, but it brought him here to her, to VRSZ.

"Well, I'd say you are doing well on the making friends part of your promise." She didn't know why but she couldn't stop smiling as she watched Remus finish his food.

 _"A boy with little memories about his past and no real identity of his own. Poor thing. I think I, we, could help him with that."_ she thought wishfully.

"You know what Remus, let Zelts and Silver do the work today. We're going to have fun." She took Remus with her to the garage to ride her car to Fortuna, but when they got there the car was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm guess those two took the car."Violet said with a sigh. "We can still walk to town but it's going to be a long hot twenty minute walk through the desert. Let's get moving," Violet said as she and Remus exited through the garage door and started their walk.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

During their walk, Violet tried to converse with Remus to learn more about her teammate but got very little. She was able to summarize what she learned about him so far;

 _"He doesn't know much about his own past, he's not a robot, suck it Silver, he is actually very smart academically, but not worldly or about people. He wants to make friends and he can fight at a very high level, this combined with his naivete... I'm glad I'm the one that found him and not someone who could've manipulated him to do their bidding. I know wouldn't want to fight to him, he's strong,"_

"No, you're the one I wouldn't want to fight," Remus said which surprised Violet who thought he was reading her thoughts. "You're the coolest person I've ever meet. If we fought, I don't think I could win." Remus complimented and Violet smiled at his words.

"Heh heh heh, well, I'm glad that we'll never have to fight each other." While she said this she didn't notice the action she was doing. She was patting his head affectionately. Remus didn't seem to mind but Violet quickly retracted her hand feeling embarrassed about what she did. "S..sorry Remus, I don't know where that came from. It won't happen again," she apologized but Remus just shrugged his shoulders, he really didn't care.

"So um, this lab you lived in, I know you said you couldn't go back but d you think you can tell me where it is?" _If I can find it, then I can understand Remus's story,"_

"No, I am forbidden to disclose anything about the facility," he said in a cold, emotionless way that sounded like it was rehearsed.

"Oh, okay," Violet said a little sad. This is the first time Remus ever said no to her. _"I guess this is something I'll have to let go, for now,"_

The two were strolling through the town like they did before with Zelts, only this time, Violet planned to keep an eye on Remus so he wouldn't wander off again. Violet's goal was for Remus to find something in town that interested him, but so far nothing really caught his eye. He wasn't sure what to look for. It's not that he didn't like anything, but he wanted to try everything and didn't know where to start until he found a store that sold certain items. Violet looked in the direction he was staring and smiled.

"Oh that could be fun. We'll buy one and go home to play with it."

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

Sitting on the floor in the living room in front of the flat screen TV, Violet and Remus were holding their scrolls horizontally and rapidly pressing buttons until Violet stopped and huffed in defeat.

"Winner!" the sound coming from the TV said. On the floor in front of them was a gaming console they got from the video game store using their scrolls as controllers.

"Damn, that's four wins in a row. You're a fast learner Remus. We were even when we started playing but you get better and better every time."

"Thank you, I adapt fast when it comes to technology," he said focused on the fighting game they were playing. _"Hmm he's tech savvy, good to know,"_ Violet thought as she lost again.

"Winner!" the game's announcer said again and Violet lowered her head. "This is really fun," Remus said and he smiled.

 _I don't think I'm going to win anymore, but he's right, this is still fun,"_ Violet thought. They continued to play for three hours.

This time together proved fruitful to building the bond between them. Violet has come to see Remus as a younger brother, one that needed her to teach him about the world and she was happy to help him. She felt like nothing could ruin her day.

Suddenly a noise could be heard coming from the garage. "That must be Silver and Zelts," Violet told Remus. She left to greet them since she hasn't seen them all day while Remus continued playing. She went through the door to the garage and it closed behind her. Two seconds later, she screamed loud enough to break Remus's concentration. He ran to the garage and burst through the door to fight whatever was hurting Violet, only to see her standing in front of him as she looked at Silver and Zelts.

The two looked like they've seen better days, most likely worn out from their missions, but the thing that stood out was Violet's jeep, it was significantly damaged. Large scratches and puncture holes, broken windows and one of the tires were flat. The only thing that was left unscathed was the side of the jeep with VRSZ spray painted on it. Shock and awe on her face was replaced by rage, rage she directed at the two huntsmen.

"WHAT HAPPENED!" she yelled at a volume that scared the others.

"Turquoise happened. We got trouble," Zelts said.

"What?" Violet questioned and Silver let out a long sigh before retelling the events that occurred.

"It's a long story."

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Remus becomes a big fan of video games especially role-playing games.**


	11. Blacklist

**Setting: Moneta**

It was very early in the morning, the sun had yet to fully rise over the sandy horizon of the desert. Silver was trying not to fall asleep on a chair in the main floor of the Moneta building while Zelts was looking at jobs they could do. He let out a huge disrupting yawn before turning his head around to talk to Zelts.

"When you asked me to assist you on some missions I was expecting a bounty or maybe eliminating Grimm, but no, your idea of missions is...chores?" Silver said clearly upset that Zelts ruined his morning for something he thinks is trivial.

In Moneta, jobs of all kinds are listed for anyone who wishes to take them. The most common jobs taken are bounties and fighting off Grimm, mostly jobs requiring combat. Other menial jobs like fieldwork, manual labor, or even babysitting are overlooked because the lack of pay or difficulty. To avoid them they were set up on a separate digital board for anyone to take, but that was rarely the case. The only person who would even glance at this board was Zelts who was looking for jobs right now.

"I can't believe you woke me up for this, even old man Sterling's barely awake. None of those jobs are even real work," Silver complained from his chair.

"If they aren't real jobs then they wouldn't be here now would they?" Zelts retorted and it only fueled Silver's irritation.

"This probably explains why you bring in the least amount of money."

"I heard that, unlike you who looks for a fight, I prefer to avoid unnecessary battles, besides, I like doing these kinds of jobs because they're soothing and you help the people, that should be reward enough," Zelts lectured and Silver appeared to be bored.

"Hmmm these are some good ones. Let's go Silver," Zelts said as he walked out and Silver was too tired to protest so he complied.

Over the course of the day, the pair has helped repair the roof of an old house, picked the weeds out of a family's yard, found two lost pets, and helped an old woman with her shopping. Throughout all these endeavors, Silver complained and groaned while Zelts ignored it all as he was happy helping other people. It was the middle of the afternoon and Zelts and Silver have completed their assignments. Zelts received their pay from Sterling and left for the jeep. As they were walking, Silver dragged his feet still whining.

"UUUUUGGGGHHHH, this suuuuucks! Waking up at the crack of dawn to do several boring jobs that pay as much as one bounty mission. Man, talk about a waste of a day."

"I don't see it that way, if anything, we made a lot of people happy by helping them. Like I said before, I think that would be reward enough," Zelts said confident in the good work he has done but Silver retorted with a raspberry like an immature child.

"You'll understand when you're older." Zelts said with a smile as they reached the jeep and sat in the passenger seat. "When I'm older? You two years older than me." Silver said to himself as he took the driver's seat and started driving.

Making their way home through the desert, the drive made Silver mellow out as they cruised through the sand. Zelts had his eyes closed as he waited to get home. The ride was peaceful until Silver spotted something unusual in front of them. He couldn't tell what it was because it was moving beneath the sand pretty fast, creating a trail of kicked up sand behind it and for some reason it was heading right towards them.

"The hell?" Silver wondered aloud making Zelts open his eyes but before they could do anything the unknown object ran beneath the car and slashed one of the tires causing the jeep to spin out of control before it tipped over and crashed upside down with the duo jumping out of the car before it crashed.

Silver looked at the car and cursed. "Damn, Violet's gonna kill me."

Zelts got up and looked at the unknown object headed towards them again but this time he grabbed the Wings of Icarus from behind his back, split it into its wingblades form and made a gust of wind to kick up the sand in front of him removing the unknown object's cover. The pair tried to get a good look of what attacked them and when the dust cleared, what they saw shocked them. A tail, a metal tail with a stinger at the end was sticking out of the ground wriggling around seeming fazed. Not wanting to give it time to recover, Zelts performed the same move again to get a full view of the culprit.

"All right all right stop!" a voice said coming from the sand cloud. As it cleared, a man can be seen, a man who was bald except for the short brown Mohawk he was sporting, wore goggles and a pair of tan pants. The mechanical tail was attached to some kind of mechanical armor he wore in place of a shirt. Not only did he have a tail but he had pair of mechanical pincers where his hands should be.

"What the hell is he?" Silver said as he drew Ceasefire from its holsters.

"The name's Buff, I'm here for the bounty on your heads," He said as he crossed his pincer arm over his arms as he readies himself for battle.

"Bounty? Sorry pal, you got the wrong people. We don't have bounties check the board in Moneta," Silver countered.

"Oh no not that list. You guys are special, you made it on Turquoise's blacklist. She's offering a ton of money for your team," Buff said and the news surprised the two as Buff continued.

" The Deceptive Flower, Violet Tulipe: $40,000. The Blue Blur, Remus Cobalt: $30,000. The Silver-Tongued Sharpshooter, Silver Synch: $55,000. The Pacifist, Zelts Allister: $25,000. All for a grand total of $150,000. I like the sound of that," Buff finished as he licked his lips at the thought of the money.

"Why is mine the highest!"

"Says on your bounty you pissed her off the most. Heh wouldn't want to be you right now," Buff answered but was met with bullets hitting his exo-suit damaging it a little.

"Tch, the feelings mutual. I wouldn't want to be you, you have a face not even a mother could love," Silver insulted angering the man.

"I'll shut that mouth of yours. The desert combined with my exo-suit in Deathstalker mode, I have the advantage," Buff said before he dug beneath the sands again heading straight toward Silver.

Silver didn't move and his face showed little to no interest as he was about to be attacked. Before Buff could land a blow, the Wings of Icarus was slammed right in front of Silver and the sound of metal hitting metal meant the block was effective making Silver smile. "I knew you had my back."

The metal stinger popped out of the sand and towered over the shield before moving in to impale Zelts from above. Silver reacted quickly by changing Ceasefire to twin staff mode then jumping on the Zelt's shoulders to parry the stinger. Seeing this as a stalemate, Buff stopped his attack to get some distance and regroup. Both Silver and Zelts were unimpressed by Buff's tactics.

"This is such a pointless fight. I kind of understand your earlier perspective on unnecessary battles, this guy is a rank amateur," Silver said clearly bored of this fight and striking a nerve in Buff.

"You finally get it. Let's flip the car and explain what's happened to Violet." Zelts said as he turned around to leave and Silver followed suit ignoring Buff's existence angering the man to his boiling point.

"AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!" Buff yelled but he was still ignored as they continued to walk away. Buff used his exo-suit to burrow beneath the sands and tunnel past them right to the jeep which made them take notice of him. With his stinger, the repeatedly pierced the car out of anger ruining the doors on one side and with his pincers he slashed the car leaving large marks as well.

Zelts grabbed the tail Buff's suit and threw him away from the jeep and Silver ran over to inspect the vehicle. "You idiot! Violet's gonna have my head!" Silver yelled in anger.

"Not before I have yours!" Buff dashed to Silver. Before he can stab him with his pincers, Silver used his semblance to jump and evade the attack but dodging made Buff pierce the car again.

"Dammit! I can't catch a break!" Silver said in the air.

Charging forward, Zelts rammed his shield into Buff, smashing him between the shield and the car, damaging it further.

"Oh come on!" Silver shouted when he landed.

Zelts continued to pin Buff against the car but the mechanical tail was raised above the shield again but this time the stinger began to glow red. Not sure what it means, Zelts pulled back before the stinger attacked. It missed Zelts but when it hit the sand, all small area glowed red then it burst in a fiery explosion kicking up a ton of sand. Thinking the flow of battle is in his favor, Buff charged toward Zelts and Silver for a finishing blow.

"So annoying," Silver groaned before taking aim but Zelts put his arm in front of him to make him stop.

"I'll end this now," Zelts said in a serious tone Silver didn't expect.

Zelts dropped his shield and braced for Buff's attack. Thinking he gave up, Buff charged his stinger with dust and stabbed Zelts in the chest but his stinger was stopped. Zelts held the burning stinger with his bare hands an inch away from his chest.

"I'd let go if I were you. The dust will melt your hands off," Buff said with confidence.

"You sure about that?" Zelts said.

Buff looked confused then realized nothing was happening. Looking at his stinger he sees that it is no longer glowing red, instead, Zelts's hands were glowing, glowing a shimmering gold.

"I'll take away all of your dust." Zelts said as he used his energy conversion semblance to drain all of Buff's dust supply inside his exo-suit.

With the last of the dust drained, Zelts's eyes glowed gold and with brute force he pulled the stinger and ripped the tail right off of Buff scaring the man. He didn't stop there as he grabbed the pinchers and ripped them off to leaving Buff on his knees with the exo-suit on his torso. Silver was very surprised by his comrade's actions. This was a ferocity he never thought someone like Zelts could muster. Even Buff was frightened but he tried to compose himself. He pressed a set of buttons on the exo-suit before getting up.

"Y-y...you... think that's it?" he said more scared than he wanted. The exo-suit began flexing, moving, and changing shape.

"You're dreaming if you think I'm done! This isn't even my final for-" Zelts punched Buff hard in the face knocking him out and because the extra energy from his semblance slightly increased his physical abilities, Buff was sent flying a few feet.

"That's enough out of you," Zelts said before he walked past Buff's unconscious body to the car. With his boost in strength, he lifted the car and put it right side up. "Let's go Silver,"Zelts said as he got in the sandy jeep.

Silver was stunned at the feats his teammate performed. _"His bounty should be higher,"_

Coming to, he jogged to the car, moved some sand out of the driver's seat, and was about to start the car but remembered that Buff killed one of the tires, what's worst they didn't have a spar. "I really can't catch a break," Silver said slouching in defeat.

Silver and Zelts were left with one option, pushing. Zelts still retained energy from the dust he converted to energy so the task wasn't horrible, but when his boost will run out is anyone's guess.

"So Zelts, you say you don't like fighting and all, but you're incredibly, exceptionally good at it," Silver said clearing the silence.

"Look, growing up I had to do a lot of fighting and as time passed, I got better but not without cost. I fought a lot of battles and won them saving my own life but...there were others...others I couldn't save. I prefer to avoid as many fights as I can because I don't want to lose anything or anyone else. This team...I don't want to lose anyone else."

"That explains why you don't choose fighting missions unless we ask. If it makes you feel any better, we're strong, we can take on pretty much anything, even Turquoise and her little vendetta. But, it wouldn't hurt knowing that there's a shield that had our backs," Silver said to reassure Zelts who smiled. They were almost to the base, it was so close until the pushing got harder. Zelt's eyes returned to normal.

"I've run out of energy," Zelts said trying to laugh it off.

"Oh come on!" Silver shouted in vain.

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

"And that's pretty much what happened. I want to make it clear that it was not MY fault that the car was totaled. Again, it was not my fault," Silver explained carefully to Violet and Remus, more to Violet to avoid a pummeling for the state of her jeep.

"The real matter that we need to discuss are the bounties Turquoise put on us. In the criminal underworld, we're targets and others will be coming, others stronger than Buff," Zelts added.

"She isn't one to do work herself," Silver interjected.

Violet processed their entire story but her eyes were focused on her jeep.

"Violet?" Remus said breaking her trance as she looked at Silver and Zelts.

"We'll deal with whatever that woman throws at us," Violet said and she turned to leave the garage.

 _"That was... brief,"_ Silver thought in his mind.

Before she went through the door she stopped and turned her head to Silver.

"Oh, and Silver you'll be accompanying me tomorrow to get my jeep repaired. If people are coming after us, we'll need to be vigilant." Silver nodded in agreement.

"For now, let's forget about it and bond. Remus and I bought ourselves a few videos games, do you guys want to play with us?"

 _"If these are the consequences of my choice, then I'll face them all. Bring it on,"_

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Buff is the pale-yellow brown color of the un-dyed leather of several animals. His exo-suit allows him to copy the limbs of several Grimm.**

 **Remus's bounty nickname, "Blue Blur," is a reference to Sonic the Hedgehog, another blue speedster.**

 **Zelts brings in the least amount of money because of the type of jobs he takes, but it increases his popularity with the people of Fortuna, especially with the women. He** **doesn't like to fight but will if he needs to. Helping the team is one of the reasons he fights.**

 **Remus rarely loses in any video game. Silver is super competitive and plays with Remus nonstop. He never wins but they both enjoy the fun.**


	12. A Challenger Approaches

**Setting: A Workshop in Fortuna**

Violet and Silver were in the main room of a workshop doing nothing. Violet was standing against a wall while Silver was sitting in a seat with his head down. Outside the building were men scurrying around keeping an eye on the pair.

"They're still following us," Silver said as he looked through the windows that made up the front door and the wall.

"Just wait. I want to know about my car." Just as she said that, a door in the back of the room opened.

A boy with short ruffled black hair and a black weasel-like tail entered the room, he was younger than Remus, around thirteen years old. Wore a grey jumpsuit that looked too big for him over a white tank top. He was wearing a belt with tools attached to it but the belt looked too big for him as well, a pair of brown gloves, and a pair of goggles that had a smudge of oil on it. Not only his goggles, but his body had spots of oil. He had a big goofy smile on his face.

"It's all done. Your jeep is fully repaired Violet."

"Thank you so much Onyx. I know I can always depend on you." Violet walked up and hugged the boy making his face turn red and made Silver arch his eyebrow.

"Oh um...uh... ..no pr..problem Vi. I..it's what I d..do," Onyx stuttered and Silver noticed.

"How much do I owe you?" Violet asked with her hands on his shoulders and a lovely smile.

"F- for you Vi, uh... it's on the house. I- I can't charge you, you're one of my favorite costumers," Onyx said but his eyes widened in surprise by that last part and he put his goggles over his eyes and turned his face away from Violet who smiled before walking to the door.

"Silver, be a dear and bring the car around. I have to take care of business." She looked at the men trying to hide in the shadows.

"I ain't your chauffeur, go take care of business. Take me to the car kid."

"O...Okay," Onyx said as he took Silver to the car and Violet stepped outside and walked down the block into an alley.

The five men appeared out of the shadows to follow her but when they turned the corner, it was a dead end and Violet was gone. Completely thrown for a loop, the men looked around to see if she was hiding. Unknown to them Violet was there, invisible, watching in amusement as they fumbled around searching for her. She reached for her twin dagger Vorpal Swords from their holsters.

"So you have a crush on Violet or something kid?" Silver blatantly asked as he watched Onyx inspect the jeep one last time. Onyx froze at his question.

"I...I don't know what you mean." Onyx tried to remain calm but his fluster wasn't too hard to miss.

An idea formed in Silver's head and he smiled. "You're an inventor right kid?" Before Onyx could answer Silver continued. " I need you to give the jeep a little upgrade," Silver whispered his request in Onyx's ear and the boy perked in interest.

"That sounds pretty cool but-" Onyx said but Silver interrupted.

"Oh, that's too bad, I know Vi would certainly love it," Silver said as he looked at Onyx blush at the thought of Violet thanking him.

 _"Too easy,"_ Silver thought.

Silver walked to the alley that Violet lured their pursuers and witnessed her punch the lights out of the last thug standing. He dropped to the ground with the other unconscious bodies in the alley and she walked out like nothing happened.

"Took your time."

"I told you my dust supply is getting pretty scarce, I can't waste it on, as you would say, fodder," Violet said which made Silver smile.

"Where's the car?"

"Onyx wanted to do some last minute adjustments, shouldn't take long. Just have to wait a little bit longer. Who knows, you might be surprised," Silver said with a grin.

Half an hour later, Silver and Violet were waiting outside the shop when they saw Onyx drive up with the jeep. "What?" Violet said as she took a closer look at her car. There were small salvos attached to the sides of the car and in those salvos were missiles. "Onyx what did you do?"

"Silver said you wanted some extra firepower so I added some weaponry. Do you like it?" Onyx said looking at Violet for approval. The hopefulness in his eyes made it hard for Violet to say anything negative to Onyx. He was tricked by Silver, who Violet planned to talk to later.

"Thank you Onyx, I really appreciate it." Violet's approval made Onyx smile. She turned around and glowered at Silver who smiled and waved. _"_

 _So it doesn't extend just to Remus. She has a soft spot for kids,"_

"Tell your cousin I said hello," Violet said.

"Sure," Onyx complied as Violet and Silver left his workshop.

"Cousin?" Silver asked but Violet didn't look at him as they drove home.

"You've met her." Silver quickly figured out who she was talking about.

"So, how do you think the others are doing?" Silver asked.

 **Setting: Outside of Fortuna**

All sorts of people were flying around in the air before falling into the desert sands. In the eye of the storm was Zelts with his weapon in wingblade form.

"I hate fighting so much," Zelts said with a sad look on his face before running to the town's entrance to meet up with Remus.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

In a recently deserted area, unconscious bodies were littered everywhere. There were cuts and scratch marks on the ground and on the walls. Remus stood over one of the bounty hunters with a cold lifeless stare.

'P-please stop, have mercy," the bounty hunter said hoarsely trying to crawl away from Remus who raised his sword ready to deliver the finishing blow but Zelts grabbed his arm tightly to stop him. The coldness in his eyes vanished when he saw it was Zelts who looked upset with him.

"I know they were after us, but we shouldn't kill them Remus," Zelts told him firmly.

"...We shouldn't?" Remus asked tilting his head with the coldness starting to fade.

Seeing that it didn't take much to convince him, Zelts lightened up. "...Yeah, we don't kill people on a whim. It should only be a last resort."

"Understood," Remus said returning to his normal stagnant self before hearing Violet and Silver driving over to pick them up. Zelts was still worried about Remus but he decided to discuss this with the others later. With every member in the jeep, they made way to their next destination, home.

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

Silver was cooking dinner in the kitchen while the others were waiting in the living room. Remus and Zelts were playing video games on the couch while Violet was writing in her notebook in the love seat. Another regular day at the Team VRSZ stronghold.

 **Setting: Turquoise's Office**

Turquoise was sitting at her desk looking at someone standing in the middle of her office. The man appeared to be in his early twenties, wore what looked like a blackish-brown robe covering his body and black pants with black shoes that became red at the tip. He had long hair that reached down to his neck and gave him bangs in between his eyes. His hair was white with red at the tips, including his bangs. His eyes were blood red and had pale skin, paler than Ghost in Turquoise's opinion.

"..." The man remained silent so Turquoise began talking.

"I heard about you. You're a legend to many people. The man who crushes opponents, people and Grimm alike, without any weapons."

"..."

"No, you use nothing but your bare hands in every battle," Turquoise said sounding very impressed but the man remained silent as he stared at her.

"I was lucky to find you while you were traveling. The locals aren't a match for this level of prey, so I need a man of your skill to eliminate them." She handed him printed papers of Team VRSZ's bounties.

The man looked at the posters with little interest, but his indifferent expression showed the slightest shift. He stared at one poster more than the others and Turquoise noticed this.

She stretched her hand out for the man to shake it. "Do we have a deal, mister..." She stopped not sure how to properly address him.

The man reached out and shook her hand. "Blood. Ash Blood," He said in an enchanting voice that Turquoise found attractive.

"I don't promise any guarantees, but I'll see what I can do," Blood said before taking his leave. When he left the room, Turquoise leaned back in her chair, trying to still her beating heart at her unexpected attraction to Blood.

Blood was outside the building of Turquoise's hideout, in a corner of Fortuna where there weren't many buildings surrounding her own making her base seem deserted. Looking at the moon Blood thought of the poster he saw.

 _"Cobalt. Coincidence? If it's true then... I'll find out one way or the other,"_ Blood's robe moved and opened themselves revealing that they were in fact wings, bat wings, attached to his back. He crouched down then with a powerful leap, he took off into the skies.


	13. Blood's Oath

**Setting: Desert**

In the middle of nowhere, Violet, Silver, and Zelts were in the jeep looking at the battle in front of them. Remus was battling several no name bounty hunters who wanted the money Turquoise placed on their heads and Remus was handling all of them with ease. He had a big smile on his face as he defeated his enemies one by one while the others watched and talked about him.

"Yesterday, he almost killed some bounty hunters who were attacking us and he did it impassively, like he didn't see a difference between death and defeat. And when I told him to stop, he agreed so easily that it makes me nervous," Zelts told the others.

"He doesn't show mercy to his enemies, not that bad of a trait for a fighter," Silver added.

"Showing restraint isn't a weakness, it's a strength," Zelts said to Silver who raised his hands in defense.

"Hey I'm with you, I'm just making an observation. Makes you wonder what he was like before," Silver said as he looked at the subject of their conversation.

Remus slashed at two opponents, knocking them down, before placing his sword to the scabbard and moving in to palm strike a man in the chest then again as an uppercut taking him down. Behind him, three bounty hunters with guns aimed for his back but Remus turned his head and at the last second, he teleported out of their line of fire. He was above them and had Velocitas Eradico in railgun mode. With the extra seconds his hang time in the air gave him, Remus charged his weapon for a single shot and fired in between the three opponents making an explosion big enough to envelope and knock out his adversaries. When he teleported to the ground, the remaining bounty hunters were having second thoughts and wanted to run away, but the smile on Remus's face meant there was no escape. All they could do was pray that the whims of Fortuna would make this a gentle thrashing.

"He's stronger than this," Silver and Zelts said simultaneously.

"Hmm?" Their statements broke Violet's focus on the battle.

"Remember when you knocked us out and scolded us? When we were sparring together, Remus was much better than this," Silver said.

"I told him to get stronger during the fight and he did, like he could channel it on command. It was surprising," Zelts added but Violet seemed unimpressed like she knew about this.

"He told me he came from a lab, shut up Silver," Violet said when she saw him raise his finger to prove his theory of Remus being a robot was true. "He's not a robot, but the lab is where he was taught combat for who knows how long. I don't know how strong he is, but I think the stronger the opponent, Remus responds by showing more strength as well. Only strong foes can bring out his true capabilities."

"Guess that means I'm pretty strong myself if I brought that out of him," Silver said with confidence but Violet and Zelts ignored his narcissism and she continued.

"Anyway, despite all this he knows next to nothing about his own past or who he really is. Battling is the only thing he truly knows and I don't think that really helps." Remus just finished off the last of the bounty hunters then smiled at his victory.

"That was fun," Remus said aloud.

"No it wasn't," one of the hunters said groaning in pain. Violet actually felt pity for the bounty hunters but she was mostly sad at the unlucky predicament of her friend's life.

"That's not true. You can learn a lot about yourself in the heat of battle," a mysterious voice said alerting Violet, Silver, and Zelts.

In the car in the back seat was a sweaty Ash Blood, casually sitting in the seat like he was there the whole time. While he was speaking to them, his eyes were glued on Remus. Silver quickly drew Ceasefire but Blood was faster as he put his hand on Silver's before he could draw and shoot.

"Please. I'm not here to fight you, any of you. I'm just here for the boy." Blood's choice of words made Violet and Zelts move in to attack, but Blood expanded his wings, knocking everyone out of the jeep and onto the ground while he flew out and landed between VRSZ and Remus.

Seeing his friends being attacked, Remus teleported in front of Blood and instantly swung his sword aiming for his head, but his attacked was stopped by Blood grabbing his sword with his left hand. "Cobalt, listen to what I have to say. It's really important." Blood said but Remus remained silent with his eyes focused on Blood.

 _"Such intensity, I wonder if he can even hear me? He certainly looks the part of the Cobalt family, but the rest remains to be seen,"_ Blood thought as he looked at the boy but this was short lived. Remus teleported again but left Velocitas Eradico in Blood's hand and teleported behind him to land a palm strike on his backside. This would've worked, but Blood blocked his punch with his right hand, surprising Remus and the others. He tightly held on to his arm to keep him in place.

"Allow me to explain, I'm only here to confirm something. I have no desire to escalate this any further," Blood said to Violet guessing she was the leader of this vagabond group.

Based on the fact he hasn't attacked anyone yet, his claims seemed truthful so far. "Remus, stand down, please," Violet told her friend. The fierceness in his eyes disappeared completely. Blood handed him his blade, Remus slowly took his weapon before teleporting by his friends' side. Violet, Remus, and Zelts kept their eyes on Blood while Silver seemed to be struggling to get up.

 _"M-my body. What did that bastard do to me?"_ Silver thought as he slowly got up.

With the hostilities gone, Blood began to explain. "My name is Ash Blood, I was hired by Turquoise to eliminate you, let me finish." He immediately put his hand up as he saw VRSZ get in fighting stance. "It was my original intent, but something on one of your bounties caught my eye. Remus Cobalt, that name has more meaning than you know."

"You know about Remus?" Violet asked wishfully.

"The answer is yes and no." His answer only served to confuse them. "More like I know about the Cobalt family."

"So he does have a family?" Silver asked looking at Remus who didn't seem affected by this at all.

"I came from a no-name town far off from any kingdom, not much happened there except for Grimm stalking around our doorsteps, keeping us prisoners in our own homes. We lived isolated in darkness for a very long time. However, a small light was able to pierce through the darkness. A small family bared arms against the Grimm and helped keep the peace, the Cobalt family, a line of warriors who inspired the people of my home, myself included." Blood smiled when he thought of his ten year old self admiring the Cobalts, then he frowned thinking of his fifteen year old self running away from a Grimm attack. He looked at Remus and looked at him slightly irritated.

"Do you think Remus comes from this family?" Zelts said but Blood remained silent. "Our friend has no recollection of his past. If what you're saying is true then, please tell us everything you know. It would be a good starting point in helping us piece his memory together," Zelts continued but what he said piqued Blood's curiosity.

"That's what I came to find out. I wanted to verify if he really are a part of that family or if he's an impostor. The fact that he doesn't know anything about himself, the family, or the weight of the last name he bears. You don't even know if that's your real name or something you stole." Blood sounded upset as he directed that last sentence directly at Remus but he had his usual nonchalant look, this wasn't helping his case.

"The Cobalts inspired me to be a warrior. I was only able to get this strong because of them so I have a lot of respect for that family. I won't stand for impostors, anyone who sullies that name will face my wrath!" Blood said more threatening than he intended. Violet, Silver, and Zelts stood in front of Remus with their weapons in hand. He sighed upset that he made things escalate to this level.

"I think it's best if you leave," Violet told him.

"I'm sorry, originally, I just wanted to talk to him, but learning about his...current state, things have changed."

"And what does that mean?" Silver said not liking where this is going.

"If your friend is truly a member of that family, then he should be a capable fighter, it's in his blood. I wish to challenge him to a one-on-one duel to determine if he is who he claims to be. If I see that he is a Cobalt, then I'll tell you what I know." Blood's words put Violet at ease thinking she can finally get some answers on her friend.

"Wait. What happens if he isn't?" Silver added and Blood remained silent for a moment before answering.

"Then I'll do the job I was given and take him to Turquoise."

"We won't let you." Violet's declaration meant nothing to Blood.

"You can try but none of you will be able to stop me. If you get in my way, I'll crush you all and drag you down to Turquoise as well," Blood said wiping the sweat of his forehead.

"Let's not battle here and now," He said looking at the unconscious bodies of weak bounty hunters while trying to cover his face from the sun. "We'll battle tonight at your home. You better prove to me your the real thing." Blood spread his wings, ready to take flight. He turned his head to them. "Don't worry about the location, I know where you live," he said before taking to the sky.

Violet, Silver, and Zelts looked at each other worried about what's going to happen but all Remus could think about was his upcoming fight. Remus's past and future hangs in the balance.

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Ash Blood is based on the folklore of vampires. He doesn't like places like Fortuna that are sunny and hot all the time. He also hates garlic and any food with garlic as a seasoning.**


	14. Truths and Revelations

**Setting: Outside the VRSZ Base**

For several hours, the members of Team VRSZ were thinking about nothing else but the duel between Remus and Blood. Everyone was a little worried, except Remus, who was playing his video game like it was an ordinary day which perplexed his friends. If Blood's confident enough to take them all on, then Remus doesn't have a chance of beating him. They didn't know if he was confident in himself or if he really didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, but it didn't matter anymore because it was nightfall.

They stood outside their home for several minutes before Blood appeared, flying down from the moonlit sky and softly landing into the ocean of sand. "I'm here, now face me. Prove to me that you are a true Cobalt."

Violet wanted to talk this out some more, but Remus quickly ran forward, charging toward Blood who did nothing. Like their first encounter, Remus swung his sword down on Blood, but Blood still did nothing until he extended his right hand to his back. Instantly, Remus teleported behind him but he did so right in Blood's grip, stopping his attack and surprising everyone.

Holding Remus by the throat with one hand, he lifted his opponent to his face with a disappointed look. "I saw you do this the first time we met," Blood said before jabbing Remus in the gut then threw him into the sand in front of him. "Fake or not, you're a disgrace to the Cobalt name."

Remus slowly got up and immediately ran to his opponent. He ran to Blood's side to attack with his sword but Blood sidestepped and dodged him. Remus continued to attack with a flurry of strikes but Blood continued to dodge them all with little effort. He even switched between normal grip and reverse grip for more diversity but it still wasn't enough. The other members were watching in astonishment.

"I knew it. Remus can't win," Silver said to himself but the others heard him.

"What are you talking about, the fight just started." Violet couldn't understand how he came to such a conclusion so quickly. "What makes you think he already lost?"

"Remember when he stopped me from pulling out Ceasefire, I don't know what it was, but when he touched me I felt off. It wasn't until he knocked us out of the jeep I figured it out. My body was moving too slow, despite my brain telling it to move, my body responded sluggishly. It's his semblance, it slows down the body of whoever he touches, that's how he's keeping up with Remus, he's slowing him down. This opponent strips Remus of the very foundation of his fighting style, speed, he has no chance of winning."

Violet looked a Silver then at Remus who doesn't look like he's given up. She remembered something she said yesterday;

 _"I don't know how strong he is, but I think the stronger the opponent, Remus responds by showing more strength as well. Only strong foes can bring out his true capabilities,"_

She saw Remus get knocked back to the ground again. He got up and lifted his head looking at his team. Violet looked at him then saw the intensity in his eyes change, she smiled at him before he turned around to face Blood. "No, he won't lose. I believe in him."

Zelts nodded in agreement but Silver was skeptical.

Blood looked at Remus who squatted lower to the ground. _"He has that look in his eyes again. I guess this is where he gets serious. Hmm, I already hit him three times with Paralysis, so he won't be using high speed attacks anytime soon. What will you do- huh?"_ Blood's thoughts were interrupted by Remus who started running around him again but he was still fast. _"The hell? Paralysis shouldn't have worn off yet, but he's still fast!?"_

Remus approached him and tried to cut him but Blood was able to dodge, barely. Seeing this as a chance to end the fight, Blood threw a punch at Remus but all he hit was blue smoke. Looking around, he didn't see Remus until he saw a bright blue light from above. Remus was in the air with Velocitas Eradico in railgun mode. He fired two shots at Blood, but using his wings, Blood took a large step backwards. The extra charge of the railgun's energy pulses made two giant clouds of sand big enough to envelope Blood. Unfamiliar with fighting in the desert, Blood got sand in his eyes and he couldn't see what was coming next. Right in front of him, Remus slashed him quickly with his sword pushing him out of the sand cloud, this was the first time Remus landed a blow. Due to the flow battle being completely in Blood's favor, everyone was surprised that Remus actually hit him.

"Go Remus! I know you can do it! Keep it up!" Violet loudly cheered him on, Zelts did the same but with less vigor. _"Since Teleportation is a semblance, instantaneous, and doesn't rely on any physical movement, I guess it's not affected by Blood's body slowing semblance,"_ Silver thought as he simply folded his arms and watched, but was silently rooting for the underdog.

Blood watched Remus' movement and came to a conclusion, Paralysis has just worn off. Remus ran circles around Blood and with Paralysis no longer in effect, he ran at a level of speed no one else has ever seen. Moving so fast, he disappeared with kicked up sand being the only indicator of his location, it was as if he was using his semblance to confuse his foe, even Blood was having a hard time keeping track. Remus moved in to slash him, but Blood blocked with his arms. He used his aura to help block the attack and lessen the damage he would've taken. The speed of the attack made Remus landed far behind Blood but he quickly moved to his opponent's backside at high speed.

"I knew he was fast, but this is unreal. Has he always been like this?" Zelts said amazed.

"I said it once, I'll say it again, that kid isn't human," Silver added. _"Not to mention the fact that Blood can still fight him off is terrifying. I've never seen Remus this strong, but the outcomes a given,"_

 _"He's attacking but not defending, if I time it right I can touch him and slow him down,"_ Blood thought.

He turned around and jabbed at Remus but right before he could attack, Remus sidestepped and disappeared then reappeared behind him.

" _Feinting!?"_ Blood realized and on instinct, he opened his wings to force Remus back and succeeded, but Remus continued to move around too fast for the others to see.

While running, he switched his weapon to railgun mode and kept it in his right hand. He teleported in front of Blood and landing a palm strike but Blood blocked it with a fist. Remus followed up with hand-to-hand combat but with one hand holding a weapon, Blood was catching up and meeting him blow for blow.

"He's slowing down again," Silver said causing Violet's and Zelts to stop cheering and inspect the battle further.

"He's right," Zelts agreed confusing Violet before she saw what they saw.

Blood was able to catch and counter every one of Remus's attacks and then began to go on the attack landing jabs and blows until Remus was helpless.

"It's like Silver said, his semblance slows down his opponents every time he makes physical contact with them, it doesn't matter if he's attacking or defending, just touching is enough. If Remus avoided a close-quarter fight, he might've had small chance of winning, but now,...it's over," Zelts said sad that his friend has forsaken his last hope.

Violet saw that Blood stopped fighting to look at Remus who wasn't moving at all. He stood there like a statue, no movement could be seen.

"Don't give up! I believe in you Remus! Come on, pull off an upset!" Violet shouted with confidence that her friend can win, but this time, neither Silver or Zelts cheered. They believe the duel has reached its end.

Blood opened his wings, grabbed Remus by his shirt and flew high into the sky while carrying Remus. With his foe defenseless, Blood continued to pummel him with hard punches. In the middle of the barrage, he noticed, with a punch to the stomach, Remus's aura shielding has finally been depleted. He stopped his assault and held Remus by the throat like he did when the fight started. Staring at his frozen opponent, Blood grunted in disappointment before speaking.

"You're good, but not good enough. I was hoping you'd prove me wrong, that you were a member of...huh?" Blood stopped talking when he noticed something odd. Velocitas Eradico was glowing a bright blue color. The charge it was giving off was very strong and Blood looked at Remus's hand as his finger was slowly but surely going to pull the trigger.

 _"This whole time, no, when he first changed it and fought me hand-to-hand. He knew this would happen, he planned it! He let me slow him down so I wouldn't notice he was trying to fire! And with all that time, the charge on this thing is strong. He went above and beyond for this moment,"_ Blood thought then Remus's hand finally pulled the trigger with the railgun right on his chest. _"I can't dodge it,"_

When fully charged, Velocitas Eradico ammunition changes from energy pulses to a powerful laser beam and Blood took it at point-blank range. The beam continued to discharge and carried Blood all the way into the ground, burying him into the sand. The force of the laser not only pushed Blood back down to Remnant, but the kickback propelled Remus further into the sky.

Team VRSZ remained quiet at what they just witnessed until Violet smiled in happiness and cheered for her friend. Zelts and Silver remained stunned in silence. When Velocitas Eradico finished firing, Remus stopped ascending into the air and began to fall from the sky. Violet's expression shifted from joy to shock as Remus wasn't moving.

"Silver! Zelts!" she yelled at them and they knew what to do. Silver activated his semblance and began to glow while Zelts parted his shield into wingblades, but before either of them could do anything else, a shadowy figure erupted from the sand and swiftly flew up to catch Remus.

Blood was in the sky, carrying an unconscious Remus in his arms. He looked at the boy then moved down in front of Team VRSZ who were confused by the fact he seemed uninjured and that he helped their friend. He gave him to Zelts to carry and began to answer their silent question.

"I said I would fight him and determine if he was a Cobalt or not, I never said he had to win to prove it. He's too young, reckless, has zero defense, and needs more discipline, but... he's the real thing, a Cobalt, still a greenhorn but a Cobalt all the same," Blood said as he looked at the unconscious boy and smiled. "Can we take this inside, after a fight like that I'd like to sit down," Blood asked and Violet complied happy that she could finally get some answers on Remus's past.

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

Everyone was in the kitchen except for Remus who was left in the living room to sleep on the couch.

"So, Remus is a member of this Cobalt family? Where are they? Are they in the town you described? How do we get there?" Violet let out a barrage a questions and Blood had to put his pale hands up to stop her.

"Easy, I'm not going anywhere, I'll answer your questions. The first thing I should tell you might not be what you want to hear but it was to be said. The Cobalt family is dead." His words created a chilling atmosphere for everyone else.

"Remember when I told you the town was always surrounded Grimm? Well, one day they decided to attack with everything they got. The Cobalts and the people there rallied and did their best to defend everyone but even they couldn't overcome the difference in numbers. The merciless carnage destroyed everything and killed everyone, except me. I wanted to be brave and fight, but I ran away long before the battle turned ugly and it'll haunt me for the rest of my life," Blood said depressed and putting his head in his hands thinking about the events of the past.

His brooding brought the mood down in the room and the others could feel it. They felt awkward about what to say next until Zelts continued the conversation. "So the family is gone? Even the people who'd know about them?" Blood nodded.

"If anything, I'd say he is last living Cobalt, the legacy lives on in him."

"That means we're back to square one." Violet sadly looked at the subject of their conversation sleeping soundly on the couch like nothing in the background was happening. Zelts looked at Silver with a smirk while Silver rolled his eyes, grunted to himself, and gave Zelts one hundred Lien in cash from their bet whether Remus was a robot or not. Zelts put the spoils of the wager in his pocket with an air of triumph.

"Oh Blood, I have to ask you. This village you two are from, does it have some kind of laboratory or research facility? Remus lost his memory but the earliest thing he can recall is his time in a laboratory." Violet hoped he could help but Blood looked confused.

"No, there wasn't anything like that. Whatever happened to him probably happened after the destruction of the town. Judging by his age and when the events transpired, he was probably the runt of the liter, too young to remember or too traumatizing for a child." Blood's answer left Violet unfulfilled after everything that happened today. Sensing his teammate's displeasure, Silver didn't want this day to go to waste and entered the conversation.

"Blood, earlier you said Turquoise sent you to eliminate us. Does that mean you know where she is?" Silver's question reignited Violet's interest as she waited for an answer. Before Blood gave them an answer he looked at Remus for a long time.

"All this time, I thought I was the only survivor, that I was all alone in the world but now-" Blood paused as he continued to look at Remus. "We are all that remain of our home, we share a bond, one that I don't want anyone to take away, not even Turquoise. I never had any real allegiance to begin with so if you want to know I'll tell you. Her headquarters is located near the outskirts of Fortuna. She's alone but I wouldn't mistake that for being easy." Before they could thank him, he got up and walked to the front door.

"I'll be going now."

"You're leaving?" Zelts asked surprised he would leave this late at night.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of places like Fortuna, too much sun for me, but I think I found a reason to visit more often. Oh, and as a token of friendship, I'll spread the word that you guys defeated me and I was forced to withdraw. With the reputation I accumulated over the years, my failure will make people think twice about coming after you."

"Thanks for everything," Violet said grateful for all of his help. Blood slightly turned his head and grinned before closing the door behind him. The sound of wings flapping can be heard meaning Blood has left.

Just as he left, Remus finally woke up with a big yawn and the others gathered around him.

"Hey buddy, how you feeling?" Silver said casually and Remus scanned his surroundings. Everyone noticed something different about his eyes, they weren't as empty or blank as they were before. His eyes had a little more life in them. Not only his eyes, but his whole demeanor seemed lighter and less rigid.

 _"You can learn a lot about yourself in the heat of battle,"_ Blood's words came back in Violet's mind. Perhaps there was more truth to that then she originally thought.

"Wh-what happened? Did I win?" Remus asked still a little groggy. The others didn't know what to tell him until Violet put her hand on his shoulder.

"No, but you made a new friend," She said with a smile and Remus smiled in return but unlike the other times he repaid a smile with a smile, this one seemed genuine.

A several hours later, everyone were in their respective rooms. Silver was sitting on his bed remembering how Remus fought Blood.

 _"Even if he didn't win, he's still strong, too strong to overlook,"_ Silver thought with a serious face before pulling out his scroll and opening a list with names typed in, including Royal, Turquoise, and Zelts. Silver typed and Remus's name appeared on the list then thought about something else that happened during the fight.

He remembered how Violet cheered for Remus. _"It didn't changed the outcome of the battle, but she was able to give him the strength to keep going. And the cliche 'My friends are my power" garbage, but something else. She's the opposite of conventional heroes, she doesn't gain strength from friends, but gives them strength. A rare ability that isn't a semblance or any kind of magic, it's just...Violet. That could be a problem. Not only that,"_

Silver reached into his pocket and pulled out the tracer Violet put on him. "She's cunning, resourceful and dangerous, I kind of respect her. Oh well, I wasn't expecting things to go this route, but Greyhound sent me to do a job, no turning back," he said with an amused look that changed back to seriousness before he typed Violet's name onto the list.

Violet was in her room about to get in her bed before she heard someone knock on her door. "It's unlocked," said before yawning loudly.

The person who opened the door was Silver and he didn't have his usual mischief face but a straight face. She didn't know what he wanted until she looked down at his hand and saw it holding her tracer. She was shocked that he found it and was probably here to confront her about it. Not sure what to expect, she reached behind her bed, out of Silver's sight, and grabbed her belt holding her Vorpal Swords.

Silver kept his straight-laced face and the first thing he did was say four words.

"We need to talk."

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Blood is a bat faunus with bat wings he hides by using them as a cowl. He is from the same place as Remus but travels the world of Remnant.**

 **Onyx is also a faunus based on the sable species but more information on him will be in future chapters.**

 **One half of Remus's past has been revealed, the other half won't appear for a while.**

 **Silver isn't the only one to recognize Violet's innate ability to make people stronger, two other people have as well.**


	15. Ultimatum

**Setting: Turquoise's Base**

It is two in the afternoon and life in Fortuna is busy and moving, except for a certain woman. Turquoise was in her room still sleeping like it was the middle of the night, unlike Violet, she had nothing in her room to wake her up, no alarms, windows, or light from the sun. There are days when she wakes up late or not at all and today seemed like the latter, if not for the sudden ringing of the doorbell. The blue haired woman got out of bed in a grumpy manner, flinging her blanket on the floor and throwing her pillow across the room. The bedroom itself was similar to her office in design. Both rooms had water lined with the walls but unlike her office which has glass walls and floors, her bedroom only had the floor lined with water.

Walking out of her room, she walked through her living room which was also water-themed. There were slabs that produced waterfalls, a small pond in the middle of the room with no fish in it, and glass walls filled with water. Turquoise reached the elevator of her base and pressed the button that leads to the ground floor. It took her from the fourth floor to the first floor which was only a hallway that connected the elevator to the front door. Whoever was at the door rang the doorbell again vexing Turquoise even more as she reached the door.

 _"Who has the gall to wake me up?"_ Turquoise thought already peeved.

She opened the door and saw someone she didn't expect to come and meet her, Silver, but he looked injured. His hair was ruffled making his usual sleek black hair match the spiky streak of his white hair, his shirt looked like it was ripped and slashed beyond the point of salvaging, and his pants were torn but in much better shape than his shirt. He was bent over and out of breath with his hands on his knees.

"What happened to you?" Turquoise asked but didn't care for his well being at all. "It better be something interesting if you have the stones to come here."

Finally getting his second wind, Silver stood up straight and spoke. "Some things happened, some words were said and...let's just say I'm not really welcomed in Team VRSZ anymore. And if I remember correctly, you still have that offer to join right?" Silver said but kept up his cool guy facade to make it seem like he didn't care, however Turquoise saw through his attempt and smirked.

"Not only did you guys take my Ghost away from me, but you also got me in trouble with Royal! You're making my life miserable and full of work! What makes you think I want you around!?" Turquoise said venting all her frustrations at Silver.

"To be fair, you did put prices on our heads, sent a number of bounty hunters after us nonstop, and personally sent that batty bat faunus as the latest addition to your failed assailants." Silver's counters only served to irritate Turquoise further and by the look she was giving him, she wasn't going to hire him at all.

"Okay, okay think of it this way. I've been with the other members of VRSZ for a long time, long enough to know how each of them fights. Their strengths, their moves, but more importantly their weaknesses. Out of everyone in Fortuna, I have the best chance to take them out. I'm your best shot."

Turquoise thought about it with a finger to her lip. "Come with me," she ordered as she walked back to the elevator leaving the door open for him. He followed her into the elevator and watched her press the fifth floor button.

"You're not gonna kill me are you?" Silver asked nonchalantly knowing if she did, she would've done it already.

"No, it would be too easy, but you do know some valuable information about your 'former' team. I'd like to pick your brain before I decide to hire you or... let's just say if you want to work for me, you better wow me like your life depends on it."

Silver felt a little anxious about what was about to happen then he thought about his time with VRSZ, then he looked at himself and the damaged state he was in. _"No turning back now,"_

The elevator reached the fifth floor, showing another hallway leading to another door. Walking through the door, Silver saw that he has been in this room before. It was the same room Ghost brought him to when he first met Turquoise. He remembered meeting her to get information and he remembered Ghost shocking and freezing him in the head. "Awe memories," Silver said before walking to the couch facing the desk and Turquoise sat at her office desk and stared at Silver.

"So the first thing I want to ask has been on my mind for a while, Team VRSZ, what the hell does that even mean?" Turquoise asked and Silver sighed.

"Uh, I hate explaining this to people. It represents color vs. colour," Silver said sounding exhausted from explaining this.

"What do you mean color vs. color?"

"There's color and colour, the one with the u. The versus is supposed to symbolize the eternal battle of how to spell the word color. A little far out there but we did the best with what we had. Apparently, we managed to get it past the radar," Silver said hoping that would satisfy her curiosity. He was tired of justifying the meaning of the team name to people.

"Weird, but whatever. Now I'd like to know who is the biggest threat on the team."

"You're looking at him," Silver said opening his arms to present himself, but Turquoise was not amused by his antic and he saw this was not a moment to be his usual self. "That's hard to say, everyone brings something special to the table, but Violet is probably the most dangerous."

Turquoise laughed hysterically surprising Silver who raised an eyebrow not see the humor in this.

"A team full of boys and it's the girl that you have to watch out for? Not the speed demon, or the living hurricane, but the little girl? Sorry if I have a hard time believing that," Turquoise said calming herself after laughing so hard, but this time Silver was the one who wasn't amused.

"Despite what people think, Violet IS a master of deception. She's very a resourceful person who can come up with tactics in a split-second in battle to take down any opponent and uses everything in her arsenal to win."

"For someone who wants to turn against her, you sound like a fan."

"It's more like respect. I like someone who can do things despite the odds against them and she can influence others to be better than they already are. Which is why she's a threat."

"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind. Now tell me about their weaknesses," Turquoise said leaning in looking like she actually wanted to learn, so unlike her usual lazy demeanor.

"You don't have to worry about the details. I said that I'll be the one to take care of them so don't worry your pretty blue haired head." Silver got up from his seat and walked to the door.

"But I want to know more. Especially about a group of people who've been a thorn in my side for so long. Tell me more about them, anything you think of can be useful," Turquoise said with a delightful face. She was enjoying herself a little but needed to remember her priorities.

"Where do I start, Zelts packs the biggest punch. The Wings of Icarus gives him some good crowd control and an even greater defense, but the guy doesn't like to fight. In real life he's like an old man, likes to take his time and has the patience to deal with a lot of things. One day, he bought himself a chessboard and wanted to play a game and you know what? I lose every time. The only one who could give him a challenge is Violet. Let me tell you, he seems like the Mr. Perfect with his kindness, understanding, and good looks but trust me, he's not. At night, when Zelts thinks everyone's asleep, he goes down into the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, grabs the peanut butter then eats it straight out of the jar using the same spoon he puts in his mouth. Disgusting, I can't eat peanut butter because of him." Silver continued to drone and Turquoise remained patiently silent.

"..."

"Remus...eh...he's a different story. When I first met him I thought he was a robot. The cold, emotionless look in his eyes, the way he moves and speaks, and he's good with machines and electronics, but recent events have proven otherwise. He's a human, but a weird one. However, after fighting the bat, he changed a little bit. He's not as robotic as he used to be. Now... he's kinda like a puppy, sometimes following one of us around, wanting to learn as much as he can and trust me, he has a lot to learn. Still, I like hanging out with the kid, he's fun to be around, except when we play video games, I can't beat him in any type of gaming you name it."

"Don't you use guns? Can't you beat him in first-person shooting or something?" Turquoise asked feigning interest.

"You, Violet, and Zelts ask the same damn question. You do realize they're not the same thing? Forgive me for being more accustomed to pulling triggers than pushing buttons!" Silver complained folding his arms in anger. She clearly struck a nerve with this topic.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah Violet, despite everything I said about her, it sucks to live under the same roof as her. She's the leader on missions and all but that doesn't mean she has to boss me around during my leisure time."

"'Silver don't do this, do that. Silver get out of my room, don't touch my dust. Silver, don't shoot an apple off Remus' head with the both of you blindfolded'," Silver said mimicking Violet's voice.

"Like I'm that bad to live with and I'm a great shot," Silver complained while Turquoise thought he was really a freeloader and probably a sociopath.

"Honestly, besides her talent as a fighter, I got nothing positive to say about her," Silver finished and Turquoise looked a little puzzled about the detour of their conversation.

 _"I just wanted weaknesses that's all. I shouldn't have said anything is useful info,"_

"I feel like you're digressing to avoid the reason why you came here. Based on what you said about the others, I think you harbor some feelings for them and it sounds like you want to go back." She grabbed her mechanical surfboard that was behind her chair. Silver looked away when she said those words but looked at her when she started to giggle.

"Having second thoughts? Do you want to run back to her with your tail between your legs like a whipped lapdog? Tread carefully when you answer this question,it may be the very last question you answer," she said in a tone that Silver understood but he still didn't like it.

She was giving him an ultimatum; betray Team VRSZ and work as her underling, or refuse and be a dead lapdog. He never liked being referred to as someone's mutt, but he couldn't afford to be hot-headed in a situation like this. The only thing Silver did was sigh to relieve the pressure.

"I swore to work for only one team in life, the winning team." Turquoise seemed to smirk at his answer.

"I'm glad to hear it. Welcome to the winning team." She extended her arm with an open hand for him to shake. Even after all his pointless blabbering, Turquoise still wanted to recruit him to eliminate VRSZ. Silver reached his hand out to shake on their arrangement until the door was kicked in. Silver and Turquoise quickly rose from their seats to see who or what broke the door.

"Hey Silver!" Remus said as he popped his head out of the hallway.

"Excuse me," Zelts said to Remus as he passed by him to enter the aquatic room. Remus walked in as well and right behind him was Violet who had a very serious face. She looked at the two people in front of her team.

"Silver," she acknowledged coldly.

"Hey Vi," Silver said in a friendly manner.

"This is awkward for you isn't it Silver?" Turquoise said and Silver turned his head in her direction.

"You wanted to work for me right? You said you know their weaknesses and can beat them all, so here is your chance to prove it. Defeat Team VRSZ while I sit back and watch." Turquoise sat back down in her seat then grabbed her mechanical surfboard and put it in her lap so she could fully enjoy the spectacle of betrayal that was about to unfold in her very office.

Silver pulled the black portion of his hair back to its normal slick form while leaving his white streak naturally spiky. He drew Ceasefire out of their holsters and aimed them at VRSZ, specifically at Violet. The members of VRSZ armed themselves with their weapons as well, leaving them all at a standoff. His former teammates in front of him and Turquoise observing from behind, Silver was in quite a predicament.


	16. Raging Waters

**Setting: Turquoise's Office**

Silence engulfed the room. Everyone in VRSZ eyed Silver and vice versa. This continued for a good twenty-five seconds until Silver started to snicker.

"Hmm?" Turquoise groaned looking at Silver with a bewildered look.

Silver's snickering transformed into laughter as he dropped his arms to hold his stomach. Violet started to laugh as well with Zelts shortly joining the fray and Remus had a goofy smile on his face. The serious silence was replaced with loving laughter and Turquoise couldn't understand why.

"You broke first," Violet said cheerfully.

"Hey, the room was quiet and you were looking at me with that face. I couldn't hold it for long," Silver said smiling.

The team continued to laugh leaving Turquoise confused, but it was quickly replaced with irritation after figuring out what was going on. "You never betrayed them did you?" she said in a low disappointed tone.

"Nah. They get on my nerves sometimes, but they're friends, it's their job."

"The feelings mutual," Violet said earning a playful look from Silver.

"Before you ask how this happened, let me tell you the plan we implemented. Your former faunus friend was gracious enough to tell us where you live and I couldn't pass up abusing such juicy information." When Silver mentioned Blood betrayed her as well, Turquoise's anger grew.

"I spoke with Violet about the tracker she placed on me so we could use it on you. Late last night, we infiltrated your base and planted the tracker on you without waking you up. We needed to monitor your movements, but lucky for us you sleep like you're six feet underground. While you were snoozing, we helped ourselves to the treasures of your facility. Violet found your massive dust collection on the third floor and replenished her own collection by stealing yours and then some."

"Not stole, liberated. I'm sure she stole all of it so it's fine to take from a thief."

"Of course boss, liberated. Where was I? Right, we helped ourselves to the food in your kitchen and hung out in the lounge room on the second floor playing video games, pool, and others stuff. I have to say, if I really did choose to work for you that would've been a sweet perk. Too bad we alerted the authorities to the location of your base with a simple text."

"YOU DID WHAT!" Turquoise finally got up from her chair and when she did the water in the walls and on the floor bubbled fiercely. This didn't go unnoticed by the others who were on guard for whatever was going to happen next.

"To be exact, we let everyone in Fortuna know where you live," Silver continued. "Now you'll probably have annoyances and work knocking at your front door. At first we did this to spite you, but Zelts showed us an update on your bounty, over $20,000, it pretty much doubled over night so we couldn't waste this opportunity. However, Violet still needed some time to add the dust into her weapons so she came up with this little act to keep you busy and contained so no one else could take your bounty. My messed up appearance, talking about the others, and convincing you that I wanted to betray them was all part of her plan. I told you didn't I? Violet is the most dangerous member of VRSZ." Silver finished his lengthy account of events, but it did not quell the flame of Turquoise's rage.

"Thank you Silve,." Violet said happy about the compliment and he playfully bowed.

"So you had no intention of working for me?" Turquoise said standing before them with her surfboard in hand.

"Don't you remember what I said? I only work for the winning team." He tilted his head to his friends. "You're nothing more than fodder to my real target, Royal," Silver finished and Turquoise reached her boiling point and all the water in the room was moving violently.

"Surrender now Turquoise, you're outnumbered," Zelts said with shield in hand.

"I may be outnumbered, but you're out of your league." Turquoise fiercely gripped her board and swung it at the glass. It broke through and she pulled it out letting the water gush out of the opening, spreading across the floor.

She raised her hand, pointed it in the team's direction, and a torrent of water jet streamed toward them. Everyone moved out the way, but Turquoise moved her hand again and the water moved to Silver. The water hit him and the attack didn't let up. Turquoise ignored the others as she pinned him to the wall, hosing him down with her unrelenting attack. The force of the water kept him in place despite his semblance and with no source of oxygen, he was in a dangerous bind.

Too busy with getting her revenge on Silver, she forgot about the others. Remus jumped into the air gripping his sword, Violet threw three knives her way, and Zelts got in the way of the water torrent, blocking the attack with his shield and saving Silver from drowning as he was on all fours coughing the water out of his lungs. Turquoise with one hand still controlling the water, Turquoise used her other one to grab and move her mechanical surfboard to block Remus's slash and Violet's knives that remained stuck onto the board.

"Remus move!" Violet shouted and he did.

Two seconds after he moved, the knives glowed red and exploded. The force of the explosion knocked Turquoise back into the water wall. The water was gushing out of the new hole, but Turquoise could not be seen. Suddenly, the glass walls and floor were cracking, something was beginning to stir.

 _"Her semblance is obviously the ability to control water, hydrokinesis. And the fact that her whole home is a giant water tank puts at a great disadvantage,"_ Violet thought trying to assess the best way to end the fight.

"We need to get out of this building. Remus can you teleport us outside?" she asked.

Remus looked around at the watery dome surrounding them. "Maybe? I can only teleport to places I can see and the water makes it...blurry."

"Give it a try," Violet asked nicely as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"What's the worst that can happen, we end up in the water? Just have to hold our breaths," Zelts said putting his hand on Remus's back.

"Here's your first lesson about life schoolboy, sometimes you gotta take a leap of faith," Silver said bumping his fist on Remus's arm.

Remus concentrated on the area beyond the water and in a puff of smoke, the team was gone and the second after they disappeared, all the water broke through and flooded the room.

Outside the base, the team reappeared but were falling from a five story building. Remus looked at the ground and teleported them all again safely on the ground. All of a sudden, the windows of Turquoise's base were spouting water from every floor. On the fifth floor, Turquoise emerged riding her surfboard on a current of water that was amassing into a giant ball of water with her resting at the top. The orb slowly descended to the ground before the team and with a swing of her arms the water transformed into a giant wave with Turquoise riding toward her opponents.

Violet armed herself with some Vorpal Swords, but Zelts got in front of her changing his shield to wingblades. He swung both of his arms and a powerful gale emerged colliding with the wave. The powerful forces of nature came into contact and Zelts's attack was able to disrupt and destroy the wave, dispersing all the water. Turquoise used her surfboard to ride to the top and soar above the wave before it was hit. She moved her arms and the water changed from wave to flood as she tried to sweep and drown VRSZ. Remus teleported with Zelts out of the way as Violet wrapped her arm around Silver and he used his semblance to quickly jump onto the surface of one of the rundown buildings surrounding Turquoise's base. It took another leap for him to land on the roof of the building meeting with his other two companions. They watched as the water began to swirl around the three story building like a giant whirlpool and riding along the current was Turquoise who unleashed another torrent of water on them.

Zelts used his shield to defend again, but Turquoise opened her palm causing the water to split apart, move around the shield, and hit Zelts, knocking him down. Before Violet could come up with a plan, Remus ran to Turquoise following the path the whirlpool took her. She launched several torrents of water at him but, he swiftly sidestepped and dodged everyone of them. Keeping track of Turquoise, Remus teleported right front of her atop of her surfboard with sword in hand ready to cut her down. Not seeing any of this coming, Turquoise flinched with her arms up trying to defend against the attack, but it never came. She chanced it and peeked to see why he didn't attack. Standing before her was a wobbly Remus who gave the impression that he was about to throw up from the bouncing and swaying of the surfboard. This would be Remus's first time experiencing seasickness. He fell to one knee with one hand covering his mouth.

"Oh come on!" Silver yelled as the glow from his semblance ceased.

Seeing this as opportune moment, Turquoise conjured a small wave to roll onto the board and carry Remus underwater a good distance ahead of her. Following the current of the whirlpool, using her hands to control the water and keep him in place, her move was interrupted by her hands suddenly becoming frozen. She looked above her and saw Violet above her with Vorpal Swords in hand and she was glowing the same way Silver does when his Gravity affects himself and others. With her hands incapacitated, the flow of water holding Remus ceased as he swam to the surface gasping for air while he was still caught in the flow of the whirlpool, but that didn't mean he was out of danger. Turquoise stepped on a button on the surfboard and from the bottom of the mechanical contraption, a small missile was launched gunning straight for Remus who didn't notice it was coming his way. Wanting to save her friend, Violet quickly threw another knife in front of the missile's path as she tried to land on top of Turquoise who was breaking the ice on her hands by hitting it against her board.

While this was happening, Silver and Zelts stood and watched until Zelts got tired of doing nothing for so long. "Silver, did you ever read Violet's notes on team attacks?" Zelts asked but Silver remained silent proving he didn't so Zelts continued. "I'm gonna tell you how to do ours, **Starfall**."

Violet grabbed more ice knives from her bag. The ice knife she threw to intercept the torpedo was successful. It made contact with the surface of the water and created an iceberg large enough to not only protect Remus from the missile, but it also took the entire impact of the explosion. Upset that her attack was thwarted and her hands now free, Turquoise aimed for Violet who was descending on her. She sent two jets of water to assault Violet who threw her two knives directly at the vortexes freezing them on the spot. With a flick of her wrist, Turquoise sent another force of water to Violet using the water around the ice. Violet was about to grab another knife until she noticed something in the air.

 **Starfall** : Silver uses his Gravity to lighten the weight of Zelts and himself to jump high into the air. Then uses his semblance to greatly increase Zelts's mass and hurl him to the ground to greatly damage all nearby enemies.

Silver hurled Zelts straight for Turquoise through her water attack. Zelts had his shield in front of him to guard from attacks and the metal weapon would cause greater damage. Violet aided by throwing one more knife at the water to freeze it and stop the attack. Violet tucked her body to hasten her fall into the water in order to move out the way of Zelts. The speed and power of the team attack easily smashed through the ice and Zelts landing a few inches away from Turquoise. The impact caused a massive explosion of water as Zelts's body punched through the whirlpool, flinging Turquoise into the air while Zelts landed on the ground creating a small crater. Without her concentration, the whirlpool ceased and fell to the ground. Remus, recomposed, teleported out of the water to the ground. Violet was in the water when it was falling so she didn't think she could do anything at the moment until Remus teleported next to her, held her hand, and teleported back to the ground with Zelts running to them. The great mass of water falling from the sky created a heavy downpour that would've crushed and injured the others if Zelts didn't use his wingblades to muster a strong enough gust to cleave the water in half keeping the area they were in clear as water fell all around them. Just as the water finished falling from the sky, Silver jumped from the top of the building and with Gravity, his descent was slow as he softly landed near his comrades.

"I think we're winning," Silver said knowing full well that they were still at a great disadvantage. Just then, the water that was up to their ankles was moving. All the water was converging to a single point, wherever Turquoise fell.

"Terra Cotta's weapon allowed him to control the earth while Turquoise's semblance allows her to control water. Royal has some capable enforcers. The fact that people as strong as this work under him make me more worried about Royal himself," Zelts analyzed said as he watched the water flow.

"Yeah, she's very strong." Remus said complimenting his enemy but Violet wasn't impressed.

"She's really not that strong," Violet said with confidence earning her a curious look from Silver and Zelts.

"You found a weakness in her semblance?" Zelts questioned as he continued to watch the water surge. If Violet had an answer, she would have to say it now.

"She's a one trick pony, her semblance itself is a weakness."

"I don't follow. It seems pretty strong to me." Silver was not fully grasping the meaning of her words. Violet simply pointed into a direction and he looked to whatever she was pointing to. It was the mass of shattered ice Violet froze during battle.

"She is able to manipulate water to do her bidding, but that's it. Frozen water or ice is not within her capabilities, meaning she can only control water in its most basic form. When I froze her hands with my one of Vorpal Swords she couldn't move it with her semblance, she had to break it on her surfboard to get free. I noticed that but I wasn't sure yet so when she sent a force of water my way I purposely froze it to see what she would do next. She couldn't control it, she had to form the same attack with new water and go around it." Violet stated replacing the curious looks with astounded ones.

"Impressive, so we have to freeze all the water to leave her defenseless?" Zelts said hoping he was right.

"Yes, but that could be a problem. We live in the desert, the ice I made right now is melting, restoring her arsenal. To win, we have to freeze the water in one attack and take her out quickly," Violet said with the resolve that said she already come up with a plan.

"This is the plan."


	17. We Are A Team

**Setting: Outskirts of Fortuna**

Turquoise was laying on her surfboard a top of a large mass of water that looked like it could flood the area if she weren't using her semblance to hold it like a dam. She was agitated, angered that she had to work so hard to deal with VRSZ, to put in real effort. She hated working, if it weren't for Royal, she would be doing nothing but be lazy her entire life after stealing whatever she liked, but he wanted her to be his subordinate and do things on his time. Her frustration reached new heights at the predicament she was in until she unnaturally calmed down in an instant as she stared at the sky.

"I quit," she said to herself.

"I hate being in his employ I just want to do what I want. I'm going home," Turquoise said in huff as she sat up but she thought about Team VRSZ who made her life even more complicated.

 _"They defeated Terry leaving me with all his work, defeated my Ghost leaving me all alone, got me yelled at by Royal for not dealing with them sooner, broke into my home, and told everyone where I live. Should I...let this go too?"_

"HELL NO!" Turquoise screamed as she stampeded past buildings atop her powerful force of nature that swept away anything in her path. She kept going along the path she knew Team VRSZ were located.

VRSZ could hear the sound of rumbling and rushing water from the distance.

"She's coming, remember the plan," Violet said as Remus held onto Zelts and teleported somewhere else leaving Violet and Silver to face Turquoise head on.

Violet raised her arm with her hand balled in a fist. " **Thick as Thieves**?" she said with a smile and he reciprocated with his own.

" **Thick as Thieves**. You should be lucky to partner with someone as compatible as me, I usually don't work well with others, but when I do, I'm awesome. I'm what you call a Jack-of -All-Trades," Silver said praising himself as he raised a fist and Violet rolled her eyes lightheartedly. She after their time together, she finally has a good connection with him and the others.

"Heh, more like Jackass-of-All-Trades," she said in good humor and Silver laughed.

"Haha, nice, I like that one," he said as the two bumped fists. _"Hmm. When I really work with Violet, I don't feel like I'm gonna lose. She really does have that effect on us,"_

Even as Turquoise was rushing toward them in a full blitz with water large enough to engulf a lake, the two were not cautious or afraid. In fact, the duo was running in the direction of Turquoise for a head-on collision. Silver glowed from his semblance activating and took hold of Violet's hand and with his semblance removing gravity's effect on her, he threw her in the air, high enough to bypass the water and get directly to Turquoise. Silver jumped onto the side of one of the buildings and with his control of gravity, he leaped in a zigzag pattern from one building to the next to get to Turquoise. After landing on each building, he let loose a barrage of gunshots from one of his guns to keep her busy. Turquoise formed a wall of water to defend against the bullets which were slowed and halted in the water. Violet landed in front of her and swiftly delivered a kick to her gut. The kick wasn't enough to knock her off her board, but it did push her to the end of it.

Still angry, Turquoise moved her arms to make four small whips of water attack Violet, but she was too agile. She bobbed and weaved out of each attack without losing her balance. Irritated further by her display of grace, Turquoise just sent a big blast of water to push Violet off her board and it did, but not before Silver could leap to Violet. With Gravity he caught her in mid-air and with a spin of his body, threw her back to Turquoise. She formed another torrent of water to hit Violet, but Silver fired at the water with his other gun and this time the water froze forming an arch. Violet landed on the arch and used the ice to slide down to Turquoise, who's brash moves closed the gap between them. Violet clenched her fist and punched Turquoise in the face knocking her off her board and into the rapid waters. Before the flood died down, Violet tried to surf her way to Silver so he could land on the board too, ending their combo attack.

"Thanks for the dust. Hope that was enough to stop her?" Silver took control of the board.

"Doubt it, not counting **Starfall** this is the first time we landed a solid hit," Violet said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Boy that's encouraging. You think those guys are ready yet?" Silver asked but his question never received an answer as the water came to a surprising halt and the two fell onto the ground with the surfboard in Silver's possession.

The two got up and noticed the water form a tall swirling tower. An opening appeared at the base and Turquoise was walking through. Suddenly, Remus teleported into the battle, facing his teammates with a smile. "We're ready."

"Good, now we can end this and go home. Wait, where's Zelts?" Silver asked.

"He's really close by. He wanted me to go on ahead and help you guys keep her busy."

"We'll hold her off here. We can't let this fight move anywhere else so Zelts can get here," Violet ordered.

"You got it boss," and "Understood," were the responses she received from Silver and Remus respectively.

Turquoise screamed in rage as she unleashed three fast and powerful torrents of water at the trio. Remus easily dodged the blast meant for him by quickly moving out of the way as the water slammed down on the spot he was previously standing. Violet slammed five earth knives on the ground to create a large wall of earth between her and the torrent to act as a shield from the attack. It was successful, but she could tell the force of the water was going to crush the wall and get through so she moved out of the path of the attack before it broke through her shield. The water crashed into a rundown building and it pierced right through the stone and metal. Turquoise was seriously trying to kill them.

Silver used the gun with ice dust and fired at the water, freezing it a few inches away from his face. He stood on top of the frozen structure and used Turquoise's mechanical surfboard against her by firing one of her own missiles at her. With a flick of her hand, she sent another water torrent but this one caught the missile, keeping it in her grasp. She made a choking gesture with her hand and the missile was crumbling in the water until it imploded.

"She can control the pressure of water too? This isn't getting any better," Violet said but it didn't dissuade her or the others.

Remus charged at Turquoise with sword in hand, evading every one of her torrents with speed. Seeing the futility of her offense, she focused on her defense by surrounding herself in a small vortex of water. Remus swung his sword but the fast moving water was sliced but because it was a liquid it wasn't damaged and stayed in place. He continued to slash at the water from every angle hoping to find an opening but none presented itself to him. Feeling safe she was about to capture Remus but she heard shots fired. The water around her was changing to ice and Remus cut through with ease so Turquoise used the remaining water to flush him out. It worked and she pushed him back but she was hit by her own attack as well leaving herself soaking wet. In a split-second, Violet threw a knife at the puddle of water surrounding Turquoise's feet. Immediately, lightning was emitted from the knife electrocuting Turquoise and the water conducting the electricity only made it more painful. After the electric surge ended, Turquoise began to stagger a little and before she could recover, Silver hit her with her surfboard knocking her into a building and the water tower fell apart.

If music was playing, this would be the part where you hear the record scratch, stopping the music.

"Dude," Violet said thinking Silver might've over done it.

"What? She tried to drown me multiple times, I think I'm allowed to retaliate a little," Silver defended himself, but even Remus showed disapproval at what he did as well.

"I especially don't want to see that look from yo-" Silver said to Remus but was cut short. He was hosed down by water. It ripped whatever was left of his torn shirt off and knocked him down on all fours. The assault grabbed the attention of his teammates leaving them open.

Two more identical attacks drew closer and each one hit Remus and Violet before they saw it coming, knocking them both into neighboring buildings. The unexpected power of the water knocked the wind out of them so they were temporarily incapacitated. Turquoise emerged from the spot she landed rubbing the cheek Silver hit with her own weapon. If looks could kill, Turquoise's would've murdered Silver a dozen times over. She identified him as the source of all her problems. With a homicidal look, Turquoise raised both her hands and swung them in Silver's direction. Torrents of water hit his body with every swing of her arms, punishing him with a dominating bombardment of attacks he couldn't defend against. He dropped Ceasefire from both his hands after several hits and three more hits later, his aura broke leaving him on the floor soaked, tired, and panting for air as Turquoise ceased her onslaught.

Remus was starting to get his second wind inside the building he was thrown into while Violet was already at the entrance the water attack made. Holding onto the side of the hole, she looked at what was happening and was about to help but paused when she felt something drip from her hair. She brought her hand to her face and examined what it was. Her hand was colored purple and she could feel the more of it drip then fall to the ground.

"No!" she took a few steps back into the building to hide.

The purple of her hair was fading away and replaced with blonde hair that matched the buzz cut hairstyle on the right side of her head. "Of course this would happen." Violet stayed in her position and mentally cursed about her predicament while inside the building. Even with a battle taking place, she didn't want to be seen like this, it reminded her of her horrible life before taking the name Violet Tulipe.

She peeked out the building to see Turquoise trapping Silver in a sphere of water. He was struggling to hold his breath and Violet noticed the next hand gesture she was making; pressure compression. She was going the crush him into a disfigured mess and Violet wasn't going to let that happen regardless of her hair. Turquoise began to tighten her grip like she was crushing a stress ball and Silver went from holding his breath to screaming in pain and drowning at the same time. Violet mustered all her strength and sprinted right for Silver with ice knives in her hand.

 _"Screw the plan, I need to get him out of there!"_ Violet thought desperately as she tried to save her friend.

Out of nowhere, something fell from the sky and sliced Silver's water prison in half, releasing him from his watery doom. Violet stopped in her tracks and smiled at what she saw, Turquoise just looked confused and Silver coughed out the water in his lungs the same way he did when the fight started.

"Your timing is great and all, but no one would fault you for coming sooner," Silver said to his savior before hacking up more water. Standing before him was Zelts whose glowing gold eyes and strong presence captured everyone's attention. His usual calm and nurturing face with charming smile was replaced with the most serious look any of the other members have ever seen.

 _" Silver and I distract Turquoise so Remus could fire rounds from his railgun at Zelts to charge his semblance to the max. Phase One complete,"_ Violet thought with a grin. Finally, the battle has turned in their favor.

Zelts looked at Silver who was having a hard time getting up, Remus walking out of the building he was hurled in, and Violet staring back at him. He was very upset that Turquoise harmed his friends. "You'll pay for this, I swear you will," Zelts said in a low tone only he could hear. He grabbed the hood of his knight-themed hoodie and put it on his face. His hood always resembled the helmet of a knight and now that he finally donned the hood, he truly looked the part. His face was covered but the glowing of his eyes could be seen through the helmet-like hood.

Turquoise sent a massive wave Zelts's way. It was big enough to engulf Violet and Remus before reaching Zelts. Silver quickly got behind Zelts to shield himself. Zelts swung one wingblade and a powerful force of wind was formed, swiftly collided with the wave, and overpowered it easily. The wind was so powerful that it sent the water right back at Turquoise spraying her with a vertical shower. She tried to cover herself with her arms as she was harshly pelted by the tiny water droplets. Realizing the how strong he is, Turquoise now had to use every ounce of water she had. Violet made her way to stand next to Zelts and motioned for Silver to rendezvous with Remus to get ready for phase two.

Turquoise wanted to end the battle now so she sent all the water she controlled to overwhelm and drown VRSZ once and for all. Remus teleported himself and Silver out of the way on top of a building while Violet and Zelts waited for the flood to come. The moment to begin phase two was now. Violet backed away from Zelts as he held both wingblades in his hands and began to spin around like a top. With the extra power he got from his semblance, Zelts erected a small tornado in an instant and when the water reached him, it swirled around him following the motion of the tornado which got larger and larger until it towered over the other buildings as all the water reached the top. Violet reached into her bag a threw as many Vorpal Swords she could hold into the vortex and did it again three more times. The dust in the Vorpal Swords activated and as the ice dust mixed into the tornado, it transformed the vortex into a twisting hailstorm. The water slowly froze over becoming ice as it continued to be carried by Zelts's and Violet's team attack.

 _"Capture all the water with one of Zelts's tornadoes, and use_ _ **Petal Storm: Diamond Dust**_ _to freeze and destroy the ice leaving Turquoise powerless. Phase Two complete,"_ Violet thought as Zelts finishes what they started.

With his semblance, Conversion, Zelts put the energy he absorbed into the Wing of Icarus and the energy created a powerful electrical current that surged through the icy twister like a storm. Lightning crashed and struck the frozen water, breaking and chipping it away until there was nothing but shards and fragments left, too small and scattered to be used by Turquoise again. Zelts's eyes stopped glowing so he ceased his spinning and the arctic windstorm dissipated with tiny frozen crystals falling on the battlefield. Turquoise looked up with disbelief. She never expected anyone to come up with a plan that could stop her semblance and disarm her of seemingly endless supply of water.

 _"How?"_ she thought then looked at Violet who looked right back with stern eyes.

 _"A team full of boys and it's the girl that you have to watch out for? Not the speed demon, or the living hurricane, but the little girl? Sorry if I have a hard time believing that,"_

 _"Despite what people think, Violet IS a master of deception. She is very a resourceful person who can come up with tactics in a split-second in battle to take down any opponent and uses everything in her arsenal to win,"_ Turquoise remembered what Silver told her and she regrets not taking his words to heart because now, she was completely at their mercy.

Remus and Silver teleported to where the other two were and looked at Turquoise, no longer seeing her as a threat.

"What do we do now?" Remus asked tilting his head as he looked at Turquoise with curiosity.

"The plan's finished so we take her in I guess," Silver said. He looked to Violet for an answer and she looked right back at him and Remus.

"Not yet," she answered.

"I want her to pay for the bounties she put on us and to send a message to Royal. I'm adding a new phase to the plan. Remus, Silver, **_Cirque du Ciel_**!" Violet commanded and the two boys had devil-like smiles.

Silver activated Gravity and jumped high onto one side of a building then another and leaped very high in to the air above the buildings. Remus teleported behind Turquoise, grabbed her from behind and teleporting the both of them before she could retaliate. They appeared in the air, Turquoise's back to the ground and Remus still behind her. He put his feet onto her back and kicked forward using himself like a springboard to propel her further into the air, but more specifically, in Silver's direction. Silver had Ceasefire in escrima mode and unleashed a combo of solid hits on her before using Gravity to lighten and throw her in another direction. Remus teleported to where she was and let go his own attack on her using kicks and Velocitas Eradico. Grabbing her again, they continued this dance as Violet and Zelts just observed their team attack.

 _"Remus and Silver kick Turquoise's ass with_ _ **Cirque du Ciel**_ _. Phase Three complete,"_ Violet thought with a triumphant air around her then thought about Zelts and his good guy nature. Maybe she went too far. "I guess you think this is a bit severe?" she asked her friend who didn't break contact from the aerial ballet.

"She sent bounty hunters after us, screw her." Zelts lifted his hood off his face as he said that. The crude way he spoke surprised Violet greatly. She made a mental note to never cross Zelts.

"Wow! I expected that language from, well, myself. Not from you of all people."

"We're not heroes and I never planned on being one again. Just a team trying to get by in life. That's what VRSZ is, we have each other's back and fight anyone who gets in our way," Zelts said, but what caught Violet's attention was when he said he used to be a hero.

"There's more to you than meets the eye, I learn something new about you guys every day," Violet said with amusement.

"Like how we all learned you're a natural blond," Zelts quipped and Violet huffed until she saw **_Cirque du Ciel_** finally come to an end.

With her aura no longer protecting her, Turquoise fell to the ground, knocked out with a dislocated arm. Violet's boys finally got tired and landed on the ground. Violet and Zelts approached them to commemorate their good work. Zelts lifted the unconscious woman over his shoulder and Team VRSZ was about to return to Turquoise's base to fetch the car and take her to Moneta for her massive $20,000 bounty.

"Violet, your hair," Remus said surprised by her new look. Violet touched her hair again and played it off as nothing important.

"Don't worry about it. The water just washed the dye out of my hair that's all. You guys surprised?"

"Meh. I kinda knew when I went it your bathroom and found the vial of purple dye," Silver said nonchalantly. Violet's bathroom was private, not only in the sense that she banned them from ever going in there, but also that it was connected directly to her room. He had to go in her room and to get into her bathroom.

"Stop going into my room!" Violet punched Silver in the gut. It did hurt him, but she held back enough not to really harm him after all he has been through. Silver's crocodile tears and wailing was just for show.

"Hurt me all you want, I know deep down I'm your favorite."

"I don't favor anyone of you over the other," Violet said indifferently. He could see she was telling the truth.

"Well at least I know when you're gone, you see me as the secret second-in-command," Silver said trying to gain some ground. Violet didn't say anything to him or looked at him. Her eyes were pointed at something so Silver looked in the same direction and saw Zelts meaning he filled that role instead of him.

Silver slumped down to his knees. _"Oh come on. I can't catch a break today,"_

"Let's go," she said not paying Silver any mind. He immediately stopped feigning sorrow and walked with the team.

Violet drove her car, Silver sat shirtless in the passenger seat adjusting the radio, Remus looking at the passing surroundings with Zelts who simply sat in the back with Turquoise in the trunk. After everything that happened, this is still considered a normal day for Team VRSZ.

* * *

 **Additional Information**

 **Diamond Dust is one of the elemental versions of Violet's and Zelts's team attack, Petal Storm. There are others such as Hellfire.**

 **Cirque du Ciel is the team attack of Remus and Silver. It is French and roughly translates to 'Circus of the Sky' as Remus and Silver are the team's best at aerial combat and are very acrobatic. It was inspired by Cirque du Soleil.**

 **Description: Silver uses his semblance to jump high in the air and Remus grabs an opponent and teleports them in the air where they both unleash a barrage of melee attacks on an off-balanced opponent. Remus attacks with his sword and uses his semblance to keep the opponent in the air while Silver beats down opponents with his weapons in twin staff mode. This combo usually ends when either Silver or Remus are tired or when the opponent can no longer continue.**

 **Violet named Zelts second-in-command a long time ago, specifically a few days after the team formed.**

 **Even though Remus is the most adept with technology, he cannot drive for his life. Violet took him to practice once but that ended with the jeep buried beneath a sand dune.**

 **I don't believe I ever went into full detail about Zelts's design in the past. He has short, messy ginger hair and brown eyes. He wears a dark green knight hoodie with a plain t-shirt underneath and ash grey jeans. He also dons a pair of metal boots and an arm guard on his right arm, both are decorated with gold lining.**


	18. Royal Summons

Two weeks have passed since Team VRSZ defeated Royal's second and last lieutenant, Turquoise. News about her arrest spread throughout the town and more importantly, criminal activity declined to an all time low and the looming fear of Royal had nearly vanished. Many of the townspeople cheered and celebrated, few remained vigilant, fearing that Royal would retaliate in the most horrendous way now that he's cornered. One thing was unanimous among all the denizens of Fortuna, Team VRSZ were considered the greatest thing to happen to their hometown. They brought the good fortune of Fortuna to all who lived there. The team gained fame like wildfire, they have become so popular that there wasn't a person in town who didn't know the name VRSZ. Their impressive feats have been an inspiration to all the people and the people wondered what miracle the freelancers were performing right now.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Zelts sat on the ground with his back to the wall near the kitchen entrance. Pain and exhaustion was written all over his face along with it being covered in sweat. "Ugh, I can't..do this anymore."

"It's sooooo hooooottt!" Remus complained from the kitchen, but Zelts didn't have the energy to turn his head so he left his moaning friend to suffer alone.

"I know, taking my shirt off doesn't help at all," Silver said sitting on the couch drenched in sweat.

"What about the cold stare Violet is giving you for covering her couch in sweat. Is that cooling you off?" Zelts asked rhetorically.

Silver turned his head to the right, looking at a sweating Violet who was sitting next to him staring right back at him with an aggravated look that said 'Get the hell off the couch you sweaty pig.'

"...Nah, I still feel hot," Silver tilted his head upward staring at the ceiling. Violet still stared at him with disdain.

"Silver, please put your shirt on, you're ruining the couch," Violet said a little fatigued. Not wanting to argue or banter in this heat, he reached down between his legs, grabbed his shirt off the floor and put it on.

Silver wore a new shirt since his old one was destroyed beyond repair in the battle with Turquoise. His new shirt was a gray dress shirt that complemented his black pinstripe pants. He also bought himself a new holster strap, a black one that strapped to his shirt giving him quick access to Ceasefire when he needed it. The new attire reminded Violet of cops or maybe members of the mafia since it fits Silver's style.

"How is the air conditioner not working? This place is powered by solar panels," Silver complained.

"The air is working, but we live in the desert, it's just really hot today," Zelts explained before mustering the strength to get up. "I need another drink."

"I need one too." Silver peeled himself off the couch. When he got up, Violet could see all the sweat he left behind. It was shaped in his likeness and it left her disgusted.

 _"Note to self; Buy a new couch,"_ Violet thought before she heard a knock on the door.

With everyone else in the kitchen, Violet was left to go see who it was at their doorstep. She opened the door without looking through the peephole and she probably should've. The person at Team VRSZ's front door was Ghost. Violet stared with wide eyes not entirely sure how to assess the situation. He's the same as she remembered, except he wasn't wielding his gauntlet, Purgatory, meaning couldn't put up a fight even if he wanted to. Which made Violet question how he escaped custody and why he was here.

"I hope you're not here to avenge your boss?" Violet said hoping it was true. Today was too hot for a fight. She closed the door behind her so her teammates wouldn't see Ghost and attack, though she wished the sun wasn't beating down on her. Whatever he wanted it better be worth it.

Ghost simply handed her an envelope. She hesitated at first but took it. "It's an invitation. My boss wanted me to deliver it to you. It's coordinates to the rendezvous point and what time he wants to meet."

"Wait, he?" Violet questioned out loud. Didn't he mean she.

"Turquoise is out of commission for good, besides, I wasn't really working for her, I was only a spy sent to keep tabs on her and to keep her under control," Ghost said which astonished Violet and this led her to ask another question; Who is he really working for? Her question was short lived as Violet figured it out rather quickly. There is only one person in Fortuna who is above Turquoise, the only person who could take her out besides VRSZ.

"Royal," she said in one breath.

He didn't care enough to make a move when one of his lieutenants were removed from power, but now that both of them were gone, he technically lost his arms and legs in the criminal underground and was beginning to lose face. Even the citizens no longer considered Royal a threat. Guess this was enough to rile him into actually doing something.

Violet couldn't say anything as she processed the thought of facing Royal so quickly and maybe they weren't ready to fight him. The prolonged silence between them made Ghost conclude that this meeting has come to an end. Ghost turned around to leave. "He wishes to meet tomorrow. When you make it to the destination spot, I'll be there to guide you to Royal. Oh, and don't bother bringing any weapons, they won't be necessary."

Ghost began his walk back to Fortuna, then stopped and walked back to Violet. "I'm sorry, but may I have some water? It's really hot today," he asked pleadingly. Violet looked at him with underwhelmed eyes. He tried to leave in a cool way by ending the conversation with an ominous message, but he couldn't hold up with the scorching heat and the distance between here and Fortuna. Violet went into her home and one minute later she gave Ghost a cold bottle of water. He took the bottle and drank half of the water as Violet stared at him slightly behooved.

 _"He works for Royal?"_

After finishing his drink, Ghost waved Violet off as he left again, this time for good. Violet went inside her house and went into the kitchen where everyone was located. They were sitting around the table drinking as much water as they could but not on the small cramped table they usually had. Ever since VRSZ formed, Violet's money intake has increased four times the normal amount than we she lived on her own. They were sitting on a mountain of cash and with that cash, Silver bought himself his new attire and Violet bought a new table for the kitchen. Now that she wasn't living alone anymore, she thought it'd be best to accommodate everyone by buying a table that could fit six people in the kitchen and doing so was a good move. Every night they ate together, laughed together like friends should instead of fighting for a place at the table. And now she was going to buy a new couch now that it was drenched in sweat.

"Who was at the door? Solicitors?" Silver asked feeling better now that he was hydrated. Violet paused before answering because she couldn't believe what just happened. Right at her front door, Royal gave her an invitation to meet him.

"Um. It was Ghost." The minute she said his name everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at her in bewilderment. She could understand why they were staring, she had the same expression not too long ago at the front door.

"Is he still here cause if he's looking for a fight then-" Silver reached into his holster and was about to make a mad dash for the door until Violet blocked his way.

"He didn't come to fight, he sent us a message; Royal wants to meet with us tomorrow." She brought the envelope out as proof. The shock on her friends face intensified.

Everyone sat at the table looking at the invite Violet held in her hand. "So are we gonna...actually do this?" Zelts asked unsure of what else to say.

"Of course we do! This is kinda the reason we came together in the first place," Silver said more confident than the others. "This is our chance to take the fight to him and end this once and for all."

"I agree with you Silver, but we know next to nothing about him. And I'm not all that sure Royal wants a fight. If anything, this seems like parley, negotiations. He probably wants to discuss this peacefully," Zelts said, ever the pacifist.

"When you think about it, he has no real quarrel with us. Our fights have been with his subordinates and he hasn't really done anything to avenge them." Violet explained trying to see both sides of the debate.

"That may be true, but he is the big bad of Fortuna, I doubt he'd only want to talk. While we're talking about fighting him and maybe he's doing the same thing. We can hope for the best but we also have to expect the worst," Silver said with a determined look.

 _"He has a point,"_ Violet couldn't ignore the importance of his words. She was glad her friends were adding their opinions in the matter, it really helped her try to form a decision, all except one. "Remus, you haven't said anything about this. What do you think?" Violet asked wanting to know how he felt. Everyone noticed a change in his behavior after his duel with Blood. His expressions were no longer blank, he has become very expressive with his emotions. And the expression he displayed at this current moment was...obliviousness.

While everyone was talking he simply kept quiet because he wasn't sure what he could add. He was never good at making plans for battle, preferring to learn and react in the heat of it all. It has worked for him so far but this moment has made him recognize that he can't do that anymore, unless he wants to become a burden to the others. He needed to say something to prove his worth.

"Remus?" Violet said again a little worried about his unusual silence.

He raised his head trying to muster any words. "I..I think...um...uh." He stopped when he couldn't say anything. Silver and Zelts continued their back and forth banter leaving Remus feeling useless. Violet wrapped her arm around his shoulder to reassure him that she didn't think any less of him.

"Don't worry. Just say what you feel," she said comforting the young boy.

With renewed confidence he said what he always felt about the team. "It doesn't matter what we do or who we face, as long as we're all together we can overcome anything," Remus said and his words silenced everyone in the room making him experience a new feeling, embarrassment.

Silver and Zelts's debate ended with them smirking at their younger friend. "Yeah, you're right. This is just a meet and greet. We've done harder things before." Zelts said. Violet stood to her feet with resolve. She was made her decision.

"We meet with Royal tomorrow. Everyone, make preparations for whatever may come." she proclaimed and everyone did so.

Team VRSZ spent the rest of the day preparing in their own different ways. Remus and Zelts practiced their fighting techniques by solitary training then training together to improve their skills. Zelts even commented about his companion's fighting style on how he lacked any defensive moves. He taught him how to use his speed as defense by dodging attacks and learning when to make a tactical retreat. It took Remus less than an hour to perfect this and add it to his fighting technique. Zelts was amazed by how quickly he learned this and he felt pride teaching something to Remus he would use in the years to come. But helping Remus learn how to fight brought some unpleasant images of past. Memories of children smiling, adoring Zelts for the things he's done for them, then the image of those children in battle, and the image of none of those children surviving, none except him. A pained expression fell on Zelts's face. He left Remus to train so he could be in his room alone and stayed in solitude for the remainder of the day.

As the two were outside training, Violet and Silver were gathering gear and weaponry. Violet packed as many Vorpal Swords as her pouch could carry and she gave Silver dust to give his ammunition an extra kick. While doing this Violet remembered something Silver said at the table that made her worry;

 _"This is kinda the reason we came together in the first place,"_

He was right. This was also the reason Silver came to Fortuna, so she wondered, if they do defeat Royal, will he leave? The thought made her uneasy. A month or two passed since VRSZ formed and out of all the members, Silver got on her nerves the most, hell, he still does, but she's gotten used to it. She's grown accustomed to his presence and if he were to leave then she would notice every day.

"Hey Silver, You said you came here to eliminate every threat in Fortuna right?" Violet asked. Silver stopped what he was doing but he didn't answer her. He just turned his head slightly to keep one eye on her.

"So...after Royal, will you leave?" Violet asked her voice sounding a little more fragile than she wanted. She looked at Silver with pleading and waited for an answer. This was out of character for Violet and Silver knew it. This was proof that she felt a true bond between them and now she wanted to know if he felt it too.

"..." Silver was at a loss for words. He thought about his time on this team and the mixed feelings he had.

 _Remus started laughing for no reason. "This was so much fun!" he said with joyfulness in his voice._

 _His laughter seemed to be contagious because it caused Zelts to laugh too and Silver followed._

 _"But of course you don't, you're boys. You're clumsy, impatient, reckless, testosterone-filled, idiotic boys," Violet said with irritation but when she saw Zelts and Remus with looks of sadness and regret then Silver looking away like someone who didn't want others to know his true feelings. Looking at their faces, Violet can see that they feel sorry for getting out of control and a smile appeared on her face._

 _"Yes, you boys are all those things...but you're my boys and I forgive you." Her last words and change in mood caused the others to look at her in bewilderment._

 _"Your boys?" Silver repeated._

 _"I think you're getting too attached to this team."_

 _"Look, I know you're excited about all this teamwork and stuff, but you know this won't last long enough for this to work right? I don't know if you figured this out but Team VRSZ is temporary any way you look at it. We have a common enemy and when that's gone, boom, we go our separate ways."_

 _"I'm an opportunist. I use whatever I can, whoever I can, whenever I can to my advantage. When I got here I already planned to take down the criminal underground. You guys got involved and I saw...this 'team' as a shortcut to my objective nothing more, nothing less. You guys make the job so much easier. And once the job is done, I'm out."_

 _"No I...I can't stop here. Once Royal is gone it'll be over and..maybe...my life will be better."_

 _"I still need this team to finish my mission.?_

 _"whether you trust me or not, believe me when I say everything I do is so the team can succeed, it's all for the team," Silver said hoping Violet will listen to him._

 _"Um...about the things I said earlier, I...I'm sorry. I grew up in a not-so-kind world where people could be discarded once their usefulness was used up. I shouldn't have the same mentality when it comes to this team, it's different."_

 _"Are you going to listen to what I say?" Violet questioned._

 _"Yes," Silver answered. 'No but I'll play along for now.'_

 _"You will stop keeping secrets from the team," Violet ordered this time._

 _"Yes," 'Honesty is a sucker's game.'_

 _"You will always stand by your teammates."_

 _"I will." 'You're all nothing but tools in my grand scheme.'_

 _"Nothing else comes before the team."_

 _"Of course." 'Everything I do is for the good of the Greyhounds'_

 _"Silver, I lied about what I said earlier, about kicking you off the team, it never crossed my mind. I want you to understand the importance of being on this team."_

 _"Oh and Silver."_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Never betray me," Violet said in an commanding tone that could be mistaken as a warning._

 _"...Never" Silver said quietly._

 _"Even if he didn't win, he's still strong, too strong to overlook."_ _Silver thought with a serious face before pulling out his scroll and opening a list with names typed in, including Royal, Turquoise, and Zelts. Silver typed and Remus's name appeared on the list then thought about something else that happened during the fight._

 _Silver reached into his pocket and pulled out the tracer Violet put on him. "She's cunning, resourceful and dangerous, I kind of respect her. Oh well, I wasn't expecting things to go this route, but Greyhound sent me to do a job, no turning back." he said with an amused look that changed back to seriousness before he typed Violet's name onto the list._

All of the memories flashed in his head. He never expected to actually bond with these people. He enjoyed his time with them and the thought of his true mission was fading. He looked at Violet and for now, he told her what she wanted to hear.

"I think I'll stick around for a while, you know, got nowhere else to go," he stated and Violet smiled.

"Yeah, not sure anyone else would take you in," she said teasingly but she couldn't find the happiness in her voice. Silver still contemplated what to do in the end.

 _"Greyhound gave me a second chance at life. I can't turn my back on them, I swore my service to finish this mission or be discarded and recognized as nothing more than...worthless fodder,"_ Silver thought with aversion.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

The next day, Ghost was at the rendezvous point waiting for VRSZ to arrive. He was standing outside Concordia, the place where he fought and lost to VRSZ. It was the designated time for the team to get here and they appeared right on time, but what Ghost saw perplexed him. VRSZ came bearing each of their weapons and more. Silver had his guns, but strapped to his back was something familiar, Terra Cotta's naginata. Silver had a tendency to steal things from strong opponents, he did the same thing to Turquoise by taking her surfboard. He keeps them in his room as trophies, but now he's using them as extra firepower.

"I told you, you don't need to bring your weapons, it would be pointless, trust me," Ghost said not really caring either way.

"I'll be the judge of that." Violet wasn't backing down. Seeing that she wouldn't budge, Ghost just sighed.

"Fine, not like the outcome will change." He waved his hand for VRSZ to follow him.

Ghost lead them around town for a good hour. He seemed to be walking aimlessly and Violet was about to complain that he was stalling until he lead them to a secret passage in an alley way. The passage was dark, too dark to see or know where they were going, even Violet lost track and had no idea where they were. Eventually, Ghost pressed a button and a ding sound was heard. The door was for an elevator and it opened for everyone to enter. "We're at the last leg of this. You'll be meeting Royal soon." Ghost said then entered the elevator.

After every battle they had, every new experience, everything has led to this moment. Violet has lived in Fortuna for two years and she never thought she would be taking on the ringleader of the town's organized crime. She looked at each of her boys and felt a little better knowing they were with her, but it wasn't enough to completely calm her mind. They steeled their wills and entered the elevator. The silence was suffocating, no one could hear anything except the beating of their own hearts. Finally, the elevator dinged again and the door opened to an empty hallway.

Ghost exited first and everyone continued to follow him one last time. The only things in this hallway was a grand door with Royal most likely on the other side and new paint plastered on the wall adjacent to the door. The paint was the same color as the hall but obviously new, it was shaped like a circle probably covering a hole.

 _"Guess Royal has time for some redecorating or something,"_ Violet thought.

They stood before the door with anxiety. They had no idea what Royal had waiting for them beyond this barrier. Ghost opened the door for them to enter and so they did. Inside the room was a desk, windows to the outside, and a large chair facing away from VRSZ. Ghost entered and went to stand next to the chair. He respectfully bowed to whoever was in the chair.

"I brought the guest you wished to see," Ghost said still bowing, showing respect he never displayed to Turquoise or anyone. The person in the chair seemed to acknowledge him and turned the chair around to face Team VRSZ who were utterly flabbergasted at the unexpectedness of Royal's appearance.

"Hello," a feminine voice said to Team VRSZ.


	19. A True Mastermind

**Setting: ?**

"Hello? Are you guys okay?" the owner of the feminine voice asked Team VRSZ who were too shocked to move. "Is everything well? Ghost, please be a dear and-"

"I.." Violet interrupted with a face that couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mind was racing with thoughts. In order to calm herself, she put her mind to a halt and put all her focus on his current situation.

"Royal? Y..you're Royal?" Violet asked desperately seeking confirmation.

"No way," Silver said astonished.

"I don't believe it." Even the stalwart Zelts was shaken by Royal's appearance.

"Hehehe. You all seem so stunned, well, except you," Royal said to Remus who didn't share the same emotions as his teammates, in fact, he seemed rather neutral about the ordeal. He just titled his head in confusion.

"You're not Royal," he said with certainty. "You're Clair de Lune Vantablack," he said and even though they could tell by looking at her, Violet, Silver, and Zelts were still in shock.

"You're so sharp, I am Clair de Lune Vantablack," she said giggling.

"What's going on here? You said Royal was the top dog criminal of Fortuna. Are seriously saying that was you!?" Silver said and Violet thanked him mentally because she was still unable to muster the words to speak. This revelation has made everything they did seem like a wild goose chase.

"Yes, I am Royal. He is an...alias, I think that is the best way to describe what Royal is. An alias I created for a specific reason." She smiled a smile that showed zero malice or evil intent.

"And what reason is that?" Violet finally asked.

"To control the criminal activity in my town," she answered in a way that made it seem like the obvious answer.

"How can you be a criminal? You're the Lady of Fortuna, shouldn't you be working in your office right now?" Zelts asked his question but Clair smiled like his question was a joke.

"This is my office."

Her words surprised them. Violet looked out the glass wall behind Clair's chair and noticed the surroundings, they were in Concordia.

"I asked Ghost to take you around the town to confuse you then through a secret passage so you would lose track of your location. It's just an underground construct made by my family when they rebuilt Fortuna. It connects to the entire town, including Concordia, which is why you're all in my main office. I'm actually surprised you didn't notice the hole in the hallway, specifically you Violet, you did make that hole the first time you were here."

 _"Now that I think about...yeah that was me,"_ Violet thought feeling some of her confusion leaving her mind. "If you're really Royal, then why do all this?" Violet wanted a straight answer, they all did.

Clair looked to Ghost who nodded then looked back at VRSZ who wanted answers but she could tell what they really wanted was some form of satisfaction after everything they've been through for the past few months. Picking up on her confusion, Clair decided to explain her reasons.

"This may take a while, but if I may, I would be happy to clarify why I constructed this persona." The silence she received was the sign for her to begin.

"My immediate family, mainly my father, is part of the main branch of the Vantablack family and helped with the reconstruction of Fortuna, well, that is to say he was before he decided to past the mantle to me. He named me the leader of this town when I turned eighteen and he left to travel Remnant with my mother for fun, but, unfortunately, they died in a crash due to airship malfunction. It was overseas so there were no survivors, I lost my parents in one day." Her words changed the atmosphere in the room quickly. The members of VRSZ were a little unnerved by the beginning of the story. Ghost didn't seem fazed by this story suggesting he's heard this before.

"I wept for so long, for several days, I felt so heartbroken, so alone, but I wasn't. My uncle Sterling always stayed by my side; teaching and guiding me on how to be a proper ruler to my people, without him, Fortuna would've fallen under my unprepared rule. Onyx, my sweet cousin, taught me how to smile during rough times. Being the son to a Vantablack and a faunus, he was rejected by many people in my family, but knowing how it feels to be alone I took him in and in return, we inspire one another. Ultimately, I learned from them that even though my parents are gone, there are still those who I can call family, others who need me and I need them. But I digress from what you all truly want to know." The story was a little more uplifting now and she was finally going to explain why she fabricated Royal.

"When I first came into power, a vast majority of Fortuna's denizens didn't think I could fulfill such a role at a tender age, leading many to doubt my abilities and also undermine my authority which increased the amount of criminal activity. My own forces did the best they could and one of Sterling's idea gave birth to Moneta which did help a lot too, but it wasn't enough to suppress crime. To make matters worse, Terra Cotta arrived into town and he organized his own gang that wrecked havoc for a month until Turquoise appeared out of nowhere and started her own spree of crime just to get the things she wanted. This caused her to clash with Terra Cotta on multiple occasions and their feuds had collateral damage, my town, my home became a battlefield with no end in sight and I was finally fed up with it."

"If I couldn't stop crime from the outside, then I needed to control it from the inside. For months, I orchestrated large scale crimes to get everyone's attention, specifically Terra Cotta's and Turquoise's. I made sure every transgression I committed was done under the name Royal to piqued everyone' interest. I had to make my people fear me to get to the top of the criminal underground. They feared someone who didn't exist, but I still needed something that made Royal tangible, reachable, but away from sight. That's where Ghost comes in," she said flashing a smile to her employee who bowed his head in return.

"A man named Stark came to Fortuna from Atlas. He sought an audience with me and told me about the hardships he endured, the terrible things he's done and he wished for atonement. He planned to leave this place, but not before he begged me to fulfill a request; To give his son sanctuary. That man left and with his son was in my care, I gave him a home and a job as my confidant. He became Royal's subordinate and did his legwork, meeting and coming to terms with Terra Cotta and Turquoise. I wouldn't have been able to get that far without him."

 _"Atlas? If he's from Atlas and he wears that jacket, then is he part of Greyhound?"_ Silver thought keeping his cool. He would have to ask Ghost later.

"Thank you for your words my lady, but could you not talk about me like I'm not here, and could you please stop that," Ghost said a little uncomfortable with Clair petting him while she was in the middle of her story. Based on Clair's attitude, this seems to be a common occurrence between the two, though experiences in the past has proven she does this with many people. Violet decided to speak up to fill some lingering questions.

"If Ghost was known as your subordinate, then why was he working for Turquoise? To spy on her?"

"Hehehe, very smart my Wallflower. Turquoise has proven to be more of a hassle to keep tabs on than Terra Cotta. So Ghost offered to go to her directly, posing as a traitor hoping to work for her. This was beneficial to monitoring her movements."

"So, that time when Ghost was scaling Concordia-"

"He was trying to meet with me to relay information, however your intervention caused some... changes and alterations needed to take place. Only a few people knew about his true objective and I couldn't have his cover blown, so I had to subdue him when you guys had him cornered. I made it look like he was arrested, but Ghost was resting in relaxation; massages, spa baths, catering and then some." Everyone except Remus looked at Ghost with jealousy at how pampered he was for the past few weeks. Ghost looked away at nothing to avoid the resentful staring.

"You had Ghost out of commission all this time, what was your next move?" Violet asked the older woman who looked at her with confusion.

"Isn't it obvious? I decided to leave it to you and your team." she said like was the obvious answer.

"Eh?" The only thing Violet could say at her answer.

"All of you have proven yourselves strong enough to carry on what I started. I told you before that I'm a fan of Team VRSZ, I just put my faith in you and it paid off. Crime is at an all time low and my people are happy." Clair was too happy to hid her glee.

"But what about the people who were affected by real crimes? The ones conducted on your orders?" Silver asked thinking that many sacrifices and casualties were made for her facade.

"It's true, many of my citizens had to be victims of my scheme, but I made sure to reimburse them and then some. When you take someone's silver, you must repay them in gold. I made sure no one suffered for my role as Royal," she answered in a matter-of-fact tone that displayed she really thought of everything. Her plan was close to flawless, she covered her tracks and had her eyes on everyone. She could easily make adjustments to her plan if any snafus appeared. Intelligent, strong, iron-willed, and a master tactician.

 _"Clair de Lune Vantablack, this woman is beyond us. If we were to actually face her, I'd...think we'd lose,"_ Violet thought more wary of Clair than before.

"What happens now? I mean, without Terra Cotta and Turquoise, where does that leave Royal?" Zelts asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

"Hmmm," she said with an index finger to her lips. "I guess since VRSZ took down Royal's crime ring, then Royal should fall to VRSZ as well."

"Really?" Silver said surprised. "Just like that?"

"I see no reason for Royal to be relevant anymore. He served his purpose and now I can lay him to rest. Tomorrow I will leak information that Royal has left Fortuna and it was Team VRSZ that scared him out of town. How does that sound?" Clair asked seeking their approval.

Silver and Zelts looked to Violet for an answer and judging from their expressions, the answer was unanimous. "Yes, let's finally put an end to all this." Violet said and Clair nodded in confirmation.

"And so the Royal's saga comes to an end, congratulations," Clair cheered but no one else was in a festive mood, except Remus who shared her enthusiasm.

"Um, can we go home now? I'm mentally exhausted," Silver complained but Violet felt the same.

"Let's go home," Violet declared as she led her team out of Clair's office. Everyone except Violet was out of the room, she stood at the doorway then turned to face Clair one more time. "I never underestimated you, but even still, you really are full of secrets, I really need to watch for any surprises," Violet said more impressed than anything else. She was about to leave until Clair spoke up.

"Oh you flatter me too much, after all, you are the one full of surprises and secrets, Alyssa." Clair's words made Violet pause in her tracks. She felt her world come to a halt and the only ones remaining were Clair and herself.

"Violet?" Remus asked on the other side of the door, but he didn't receive a response. All Violet did was slowly close the door between them, leaving Clair, Ghost, and herself the only ones left in the room.

"How...how do you know that name?" Violet said with her voice shaking and physically trembling. There was fear on her face, for once she felt like any form of power she had was taken away in an instant, and the one holding it was Clair.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Clair needed to lighten the atmosphere. "Ghost could you please leave, Violet and I need some time to talk. Escort the others to Concordia's main lobby and wait for us there."

With Ghost out of her office, Clair looked at Violet and vice versa. No one was talking for a good five minutes until Violet finally tried to initiate.

"Do you-" she stopped when she realized she was repeating herself but couldn't think of what else to say so Clair spoke to progress the conversation.

"I told you before that I like to keep an eye on things that interest me, including you but if I were completely honest, I knew who you were the minute I saw you, Alyssa Underland."

 **Volume One's Last Chapter: Alyssa**

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 **Additional Information**

 **The name Alyssa is derived from the flower alyssum which means 'not insane' in Greek. The flower comes in various colors such as pink, white, blond, and purple. It is also known as the Wonderland flower.**

 **Underland is used in many novels as a world of fantasy. Most of the time, one beneath a brighter more colorful world and is usually portrayed in a darker sense than people expect.**


	20. Alyssa

Violet Tulipe was born into a very noble and prestigious family known by all as the Underlands and her birth name, her true name, was Alyssa Underland. People would expect the life of an Underland to be easy and full of enjoyment, but what Alyssa experienced did not reflect those expectations. Alyssa's childhood was filled with etiquette and rules she always had to follow. The poor girl hardly had anytime to be herself, except for the little time she spent in her room tending to a small tulip given to her as a gift from her late mother, Iris. As the first child to the main family household, Alyssa was entitled to the vast family fortune on her fifteenth birthday, but this only made her life worse. The Underland families from the side branches attempted multiple assassinations against her to obtain the family fortune and power for themselves. Alyssa's own father couldn't and refused to help her because as a girl, he only saw Alyssa as a political pawn to marry off to another noble family for the sole purpose gaining more wealth and power for the family name.

"I always had my suspicions about the Underland family. They pretend to be the perfect family in front of the world, but underneath the surface they're cruel, power-hungry people...uh sorry," Clair apologized not wanting to offend Violet in any way.

"No, all that stuff is true. It was more like living in a mad house. The fact that I've kept my sanity is a miracle itself." Violet completely agreed with everything Clair said. Although she was talking freely about her family, it didn't mean it was easy to do. Memories were surfacing and Violet was doing her best to keep them under control.

"I want to ask you something and feel free to say no but I'm curious, how did you escape that life?"

"...I finally couldn't take it anymore. I hated having no control over my life, or whatever life I had living in such a corrupt place, so I made the first real choice I ever made; I decided to kill Alyssa Underland." For once in their encounters, Clair de Lune was the one who was left silent.

"My extended family made several assassination attempts on my life before, so I staged one of my own by burning my room and most of the west wing of my mansion. I left everything behind including something very special to me, a tulip given to me by my mom before she died." Violet had to pause because she was beginning to choke up at the thought of her mother, the only sane person who truly cared for her. It was only unfortunate that she died from illness. Violet regained her composure and continued, but Clair could see how the girl was struggling.

"I smuggled some money from my old home, but I abandoned everything else from my former life, though I kept the tulip in my thoughts and I adopted the name Violet Tulipe, and in memory of my mother, I dyed my hair purple to mimic her hair, but hers was long, beautiful, and cascading purple hair. I cursed myself for being born with wretched father's blond hair so I cut it down as low as I could. During the three years after leaving my family, I learned how to fight by observing the different academies throughout Vacuo, forged my own weapons, and eventually made a home for myself outside of Fortuna as a huntress for hire. That is, until I meet my boys and they changed everything."

"They made everything better," Clair said with happiness.

"How did you know who I was?" Violet really wanted to know. She thought she burned all bridges that could connect her to Alyssa.

"I don't expect you to remember this but we've met before." Clair surprised Violet to the highest degree. She would've remembered something like that.

"It was six years ago. Your father was actually meeting my father for the first time at a social gathering for many wealthy aristocrats and influential individuals. I met many people varying from legendary huntsmen, officers in military and businessmen like the Schnees, and headmasters from different academies, but you, to me you stood out more than anyone, but not in a good way. We never formally met, but I did see you beside your father several times and you looked so sad and empty that it broke my heart, I felt so bad for not talking to you and trying to be your friend. Your face never left my mind and when you moved to Fortuna I was so relieved to know you put that life behind you, but you kept your distance from everyone so I left you alone until you were ready and that was my mistake. I should've approached you the minute you came to Fortuna, but I didn't. I wanted to be your first real bond, but alas, that privilege belongs to your boy-to... I mean your friends and I think they did a better job than I ever could and I'm glad the whims of Fortuna smiled upon you," she said with mixed emotions. There was happiness, some playfulness, but mostly sorrow and truth in her voice.

Clair's words hit Violet in a very vulnerable place. She had no idea Clair felt this way about her or that she feels guilty about her past. This openness was something she hasn't experience even with the other members of VRSZ and she wasn't sure how to deal with it so she spoke honestly.

"You don't have to feel bad about what happened to me. I finally made it out of that life right?" Violet asked trying to lighten the mood but it didn't seem to be working.

"I guess you're right."

"Listen, even though you weren't able to become my first friend, it doesn't mean you can't be my friend now." Violet said and it seemed to have an effect because Clair lifted her head.

"I would like to have another girl to talk to, being surrounded by boys can be a real pain in the ass sometimes." For once Violet was the playful one trying to get the other out of their funk and it was working because Clair finally smiled again.

"Yes Wallflower. That would be lovely," Clair said ending the conversation and beginning a new friendship.

 **Setting: Concordia Main Hall**

Ghost and the rest of VRSZ were waiting patiently for their respective ladies to finish whatever discussion they were having. They sat in chairs as the people working and moving in Concordia passed them by. Seeing no better opportunity, Silver walked over to Ghost who was standing away from the rest of the team to talk to him and so the others couldn't hear.

"Ghost, I wanted to ask you something about your father."

"Go ahead."

"Clair said your father was from Atlas and he wanted to make up for the things he's done?" Silver asked, but knew the answer and what his father did based on the jacket Ghost wears despite it being bleached and tattered. He just wanted to hear Ghost say to get the full story.

"Yeah, my dad wasn't always a good guy, in his younger years he was part of a gang in Atlas called Greyhound." Hearing someone else say their name shook Silver a little but he kept his cool.

"He worked for them as a way of getting by in life. Believe it or not, living in Atlas isn't all it's cracked up to be." Ghost said.

"As an Atlesian orphan, I couldn't agree more. Glad I finally got out of that place," Silver agreed in a snarky but friendly manner.

"Yeah, Clair researched you guys and told me you were from Atlas too. Anyway, my dad said Greyhound wasn't perfect, they were small and unorganized gang that had goals far out of their reach, but they did give him protection, as long as he was useful."

"Useful?" Silver questioned but he knew far too well what Ghost meant.

"Dad told me that Greyhound looks out for the pack, but those who fall behind get left behind." Silver couldn't help but think of his own status as a Greyhound when he said that, whether he was important enough for them to keep or not. "Unfortunately, that didn't happen when it came to my dad."

"After I was born, dad decided to take less dangerous assignments, then he put more focus on keeping me safe until he realized he couldn't, not as long as he was a part of Greyhound so he deserted them, he didn't want me to be a part of that kind of life."

"But leaving Greyhound means-" Silver stopped himself there because he spoke with too much familiarity about how they do things and would likely compromise his allegiance.

"I guess you heard how they do business too," Ghost said not suspecting a thing. "The worthless and weak are abandoned, but the ones who run away, they're hunted down and eliminated like my dad." Ghost was clearly not happy talking about this part.

"We were chased for months across Atlas until my dad decided to cross borders and took an airship to Vacuo but it wasn't enough because they tailed us here too. It wasn't until we made it to Fortuna that dad decided to give up. He couldn't run from them any longer, but he couldn't let me pay for his wrongdoings as a Greyhound so he did the only thing he could; he left me here to pay for his past sins. Dad begged Lady Clair to accept me and let himself be captured and killed by Greyhound elsewhere to keep me safe, he wanted to do one good thing before dying." Ghost ended his story and Silver was amazed.

"I had no idea. And that jacket you wear?" Silver said while Ghost gripped the sleeve of the aforementioned jacket. "A memento he gave me before leaving Fortuna. It was worn and torn, and he bleached it white so no one could connect it to Greyhound. I wear it for him," Ghost answered full of pride.

 _"Good, it's only coincidence,"_ Silver thought no longer thinking his mission was in jeopardy, but he did think about Greyhound and how it has been failing in recent years.

Atlesian police and military has spread Greyhound's numbers thin, not to mention losing turf wars with the White Fang, a group too powerful for Greyhound to ever beat. The only reason they sent Silver to Vacuo was to set new grounds for a new base of operations, but they needed any potential threat to be eliminated. All on his own, Silver eliminated threat after threat until he found a place he believed was perfect, Fortuna. He came to Fortuna with the goal of purging all threats which only appeared to be Royal and his men, but now things have changed. He made friends, teammates that will have his back and never leave him behind, but they also have become a threat. This mission Greyhound sent him on was practically a suicide mission that they forced upon Silver and he was in no position to refuse. Greyhound was failing apart and they were desperate so all Silver had to do was contact them on his scroll and they'll run to his location, but Silver was almost having second thoughts. If he had it his way, he would delete the contact from his phone and live his own life, but he learned a long time ago that Greyhound owns his life and they could take his life if he tried to walk away.

Just then, Violet and Clair appeared from the staircase, both seeming to be in positive moods. Violet called her boys over and they came to her side waiting on her to say something, but unexpectedly Clair did to Team VRSZ what she did when she first met them, gave each of them a kiss on the cheek, but unlike the first time, she lingered a little longer on each kiss and was much more affectionate. And just like last time, the boys of VRSZ stumbled before Clair's fondness. Remus's face was completely red and the only thing he could do was look at the floor with one hand resting on the spot Clair kissed. Silver was a little more composed, but he couldn't look at anyone in the eye so his line of sight wandered everywhere. Zelts was like a statue, frozen like time itself stopped. Violet was also taken for a loop, but her demeanor remained unchanged knowing how Clair felt after what they just talked about earlier.

"The battle between Royal is over, let's go home," Violet said uncharacteristically happy and sporting a grin the others have never seen before. "Thanks again, Clair."

"Take care, my favorite mercenaries," Clair said happily but her words made Violet think about something.

"I think titles like mercenaries and bounty hunters don't really describe us well enough. Think of Team VRSZ more like Freelancers."

 **A Few Days Later**

When news of Royal's defeat by Team VRSZ hit Fortuna, everyone celebrated. Citizens were beyond happy, finally feeling safe from the tyrant's clutches. Parties and festivals were held back to back for no other reason than to rejoice. While all of this was taking place, Team VRSZ stayed in their base for some well deserved rest and relaxation. With the bounties on their heads finally lifted, life for the freelancers finally returned to normal or whatever is normal for Team VRSZ.

Silver was making lunch for everyone with his usual elegant touch. Putting on the finishing touches, he presented his work of art; Skillet Chicken with Creamy Spinach Artichoke Sauce. He placed three plates on the table for everyone except himself then walked to the living room and purposely fell over the back of the couch to sit on it upside down, all while texting on his scroll.

"You're not eating?" Zelts asked from the table before eating.

"Nah, I'm actually meeting up with Ghost to hang out so I'll eat while I'm out," Silver said with his eyes still fixated on his scroll.

"I can't believe you two became friends," Violet asked with a little food in her mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"All your time with each other has been nothing but trickery, threats, deception, and fighting."

"Yeah, that's called bonding." His short and simple answer was too stupid for Violet to reply, but it's not like she didn't understand. She made plans to hang out with Clair tomorrow so she didn't press on about Silver and Ghost's new friendship and continued eating.

Silver suddenly flipped himself off the couch and started walking to the door. He waved them goodbye before leaving the base. Remus was silently finishing his meal with enthusiasm and making joyful expressions with every bite.

"Silver's cooking is the best! I'm glad he lives with us."

Violet looked down at her food and thought about everyone in Team VRSZ and whether she knew it or not, she was smiling blissfully.

"I'm glad you all live with me too." Violet thought she said this in her head, but she said it aloud with Remus and Zelts looking at her.

She felt extremely embarrassed and was blushing so hard the others could tell. She refused to look at either one of them in fear they would tease her. Zelts chuckled which made Violet a brighter shade of red.

"We're glad to be living with you too," Zelts said with a grin. Violet expected ridicule but received kindness instead she looked at the both of them.

"Uh-huh," Remus agreed.

Violet smiled again and enjoyed the company of her friends.

 _"I want this to last for a long time,"_ Violet thought contently.

Everyone at the table finished their meal and Violet got up. "Okay boys, time to go to work."

With their gear ready, they stepped out of their home and made their way to Fortuna, however, they walked back into the base and stood before the closet.

"Sorry guys, sometimes I can be a dunce," Violet said opening the closet door and not one but three bodies fell out. Three men tied, gagged, and squirming on the ground in a fruitless attempt to get free. "Can't get paid without our bounties," she said in a sing-song voice. Violet grabbed one of them and dragged them to the car while Zelts lifted the other two over his shoulders. With all three men crammed into the jeep, Team VRSZ began driving through the desert toward Fortuna.

Team VRSZ continued to do their daily living as freelancers, taking whatever job gives them the right amount of coin, enjoying themselves, and pitying whatever poor soul that would approach them looking to start trouble.

 **Team VRSZ Volume One: Complete**

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 **Additional Information**

 **Team VRSZ's birthdays:**

 **Violet: February 9th Remus: Unknown Silver: July 17th Zelts: November 28th**

 **Zelts is the eldest by two years and Violet is the second eldest beating Silver by several months.**

* * *

 **Team VRSZ Volume Two**

 **First Chapter: Your Number One Fans, Team CLSH (Clash** )


End file.
